Stolen
by brower47
Summary: If there hadn't been a pen, Lisa never would have been able to get away from Jackson and she never would have been able to make the call to the hotel. My take on this alternate ending from the movie and beyond. I don't own anything Red Eye
1. Chapter 1

AN: Alright, here's where I'm coming from with this story. Lisa never got hold of a pen. She did make the call and unfortunately for the Keefe's, they did die. For those of you who have seen my other work, you'll quickly realize that I'm drawn to strong male characters that you just don't know all that much about. This little fic is for the downtime between chaps getting beta'ed for my other story.

Stolen

Chapter One – According to Plan

"Come on." Jackson said calmly as he pulled a very traumatized and depressed Lisa along behind him. He needed to get them out of the airport, too many people and way too many cops. They'd made it all the way to the tram and off before Lisa finally spoke up. He was amazed, he expected a barrage of questions the moment they stepped off the plane but she'd remained rather subdued after finding out that Keefe's entire family was going to be along for the ride with him. He wasn't fond of killing kids either but you go where the work takes you.

"But you said..." Lisa began, putting little resistance into his hold. They weren't supposed to be going anywhere. He was supposed to get the call that it was done and then make his and call his dog out from in front of her dad's house.

"I haven't gotten the call yet Leese and we're not sticking around with so many friendly law enforcement types around. After all, I still remember your little bathroom message." Jackson put more force in his grip and led her to the loading and unloading portion of the airport.

"But my baggage..."

He cut her off again. "Isn't going anywhere for the moment."

To anyone else in the airport, the couple might have looked like they'd just had a bad flight; perhaps fighting even but no one would have guessed the true relationship of the two. Coconspirators in an assassination plot, even if one of them was unwilling in the whole thing. The moment they walked out of the sliding doors, near the Delta terminal sign, a large black sedan pulled right up to them in the slowly moving traffic lane and stopped. The engine remained on, the car was put into park and the driver got out and walked away.

Lisa never saw his face as the high collar on his light jacket, sun glasses and hat covered his features well. Jackson wasted no time in pulling her over to the passenger side of the car, opening the door for her and pushing her inside. He took a chance and didn't secure her to the dashboard with the cuffs he knew would be in the glove box and just walked around to the driver's side of the car instead with the hope that her quiet attitude would continue. Slipping inside, he noted that she made no move to try and escape but just stared out the passenger side window. He easily pulled into the moving lane of traffic and they were off.

Only then, did Jackson Rippner breathe a sigh of relief. They'd pulled it off. Well, at least he'd pulled off his part of the plan. He'd never liked it from the beginning and even though he'd voiced it several times, he'd been shot down. Quick, last minute jobs were always dicey and people seemed to allow the allure of too many dollar signs to drown out the fact that there were too many variables. Surprisingly, he'd been able to convince them all to wait until Keefe traveled to Miami instead of the original New York plan. It at least gave him seven weeks to plan the assassination and do a bit of surveillance on the key to the whole mission. After watching Lisa for six weeks, he'd insisted that he be the one to play the part on the plane. Not only did he not trust anyone else to do it but he also wanted to meet the attractive woman face to face. He hadn't done field work in over a year but when you have the gift for this sort of thing like he did, you really don't lose it, like riding a bike.

He was actually surprised that he'd pulled it off. Even with him playing the key role, he still only gave the operation a fifty percent chance of success. If it didn't, then they had a backup plan to get him later on in Miami, granted that no one suspected anything out of the ordinary and Keefe's security detail didn't change up the routine. But now here they were, heading out of the airport parkway just as he'd planned out with his mark sitting surprisingly docilely next to him. He now had two options on how to deal with her but he'd made up his mind on the plane after their little tussle in the bathroom. Yeah, he knew what he was going to do.

"Thirsty?" He asked the woman next to him. When she didn't respond, he grabbed behind the seat for the cooler that he knew was there and pulled out two bottles of water. The two bottles were identical save for the barely noticeable raised bump that graced one of the caps. He gave that one to her or at least he held it out to her for a few moments and then set it in her lap when she didn't make a move to take it. He then opened his with the hand he'd kept on the steering wheel and took a long draught of the refreshing and cool liquid.

They drove in silence for several minutes before Lisa broke her self induced, almost catatonic state. "Do you have any aspirin?" She asked, reaching for the bottle in her lap and twisting open the cap. She didn't notice the mark on the lid just like she wasn't supposed to.

"Sorry Leese, fresh out." He answered and inwardly smiled as he saw her take a long drink of it, though he made no outward sign of how pleased he was. Just then, his cell phone rang and he pulled it off his belt and flipped it open. "Yeah?" He asked into the phone. "Alright, sounds good." And then he hung it up. He briefly looked over at Lisa who was looking at him expectantly. "It's done." He said and turned his attention back to the road. He knew she was still looking at him, waiting for him to make his call in return. The one he'd told her he would. "I'll make the call as soon as we stop."

"But you said..."

"I know what I said and I'm still going to make the call so sit back and relax." He could see the look out of his peripheral vision that clearly said, 'relax, yeah right' but she did sit back and look out the passenger window again. Several minutes passed and though she hadn't expected it, Lisa did in fact begin to relax. Then her relaxation turned into grogginess and by the time she looked down at the half consumed bottle of water in her hands and put it all together, it was too late. She was out a few seconds later.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Just a quick reminder for the sake of my fic, since Lisa never had to get him to let his guard down before she stabbed him, she never had a reason to tell him about her rape. So he's still in the dark about that little fact but he does know about the scar. Also, thanks for the great reviews, means a lot.

Chapter 2 - Stolen

Lisa's head was pounding like mad and hurt like hell. Dimly, she was aware of someone's muddled voice off in the near distance but at the moment that was secondary to the headache she was currently experiencing. Slowly, as the dominating presence that was her skull gave way to conscious, rational thought, she began to wonder where she was, how she had gotten there and who... It hit her like a bus, Jackson Rippner, the red eye, the call, the Keefe's, her dad. It all flooded back to her in a split second and to add insult to injury, it made her headache worse. She didn't notice the increased pounding though because all she could currently think about now was her father. Had Rippner made the call? Was he alright? She started to get up but quickly found that her wrists had been tied together behind her back. She was on a couch in what looked like a small office of some sort. The windows were dark but she could see the dim glow of what was probably a street light from farther below. She managed to sit up after a moment's clumsiness as no other part of her body was bound when she heard a voice.

"Yeah, she's here."

She heard the sound of footsteps coming toward the partially open door of the office's only entrance and exit.

"She should be out for at least a couple more hours."

She knew that voice, it was his. She hated that voice. Making a quick decision, she quickly lay back down in the position she'd woken up in and pretended to still be out cold. The moment her head rested against the warmth of the leather she had been occupying only moments before, the sound of the base of the door scooting along the pile of the carpet let her know that he'd reentered the room or at least opened the door.

"Yeah I know, I don't think anybody did but I guess there's a bird for all of us."

Lisa couldn't hear the other side of the conversation but listened closely to every word Rippner said. Her heart was racing and she had no idea what he meant by bird. It just didn't seem to fit the rest of the conversation.

"She was a real pain in the ass. Wrote a 'help me' message in someone's book cover and smeared a sign in soap that said there was a bomb on the plane in the bathroom." There was a pause. "Oh yeah, she even feigned that the phone was working when it wasn't at one point. She did a somewhat convincing acting job of talking to no one on the other end of a dead line."

She could hear him clearly but he didn't seem to be moving at the moment, like he just stopped inside the door.

"No. I had a pretty good idea but I didn't really decide until after we took off." Another pause. "Yeah, it was all there like I asked. I'm still surprised it went off as well as it did. If she hadn't been such a clever mark, I'd say this was one of the smoothest high profile jobs we've ever pulled off.

Lisa wanted to cry. They were all dead, Keefe, his wife and his two kids. She'd met them all several times. Now, acting like she was peacefully sleeping suddenly became more difficult than she'd ever thought it could be.

"Quit kissing my ass, I don't have any control over your department, that's all Jones. But you better make sure that place is tight. She's not an idiot even though she usually thinks she's smarter than she really is and she's an absolutely terrible liar." Another pause. "Just go through it yourself a few times. I'll do the same when I get there."

Now she was really getting worried. Was he taking her somewhere? Anger quickly replaced her sadness over the Keefe's. This wasn't part of the deal, none of this was.

"Yeah, got it. Oh, one more thing about her, she's an even worse actress than she is a liar."

Lisa heard him close the cell phone and then she didn't hear anything else. Several minutes passed, still she didn't hear anything but didn't dare move yet. When she heard music coming from what sounded like another room, she continued to lay there for a few more moments until she finally gathered up the courage to open her eyes. When she did, she regretted it. There, sitting across from her only a few feet away was the nightmare that had walked into and destroyed her life overnight. He was staring right at her with one eyebrow raised in knowing.

"Really Lisa, your little deceptions are so terrible that even a rookie in my line of work could spot them a mile away." He paused for a moment before sitting forward in the chair and clasping his hands together while resting his elbows on his knees. He'd changed out of his business suit and now wore jeans and a simple button down white dress shirt.

"People breathe a lot differently when their sleeping and even more deeply when their drugged on what you took. Oh and they don't often hold their breath or look like their about to cry when a person mentions someone else dying."

She hated the way he spoke. Everything was so pompous and arrogant. Like those people you talk to and no matter what the conversation is, they are somehow an expert and try to convince everyone around them that they are.

"Screw you." She hissed and then struggled to sit up without the use of her hands.

He flashed her that smile which would have been charming under different circumstances but now she was repulsed by it. "We really don't have time for that now Leese but I'll take a rain check."

She ignored his lewd sarcasm. She had other, more important things to worry about. "I want to speak to my father."

"No can do Leese. It's not part of the plan."

"What plan?"

He ignored her. "But don't worry. He's safe and unharmed and all because you finally came around and did the right thing."

"Killing innocent people wasn't the right thing." She spat back, still furious and ashamed over her part in it. She hated how callous and cavalier he was about their lives.

"It all depends upon your point of view." He knew he was egging her on but he liked the angry Lisa as opposed to the morose one.

"No one who's sane would have that point of view."

"Now we're arguing semantics."

She didn't respond to his irritating chatter. When it looked like he was about to say something else that would just further incense her, she cut him off. "Where are you taking me?"

"Who ever said I was taking you anywhere? Or did you spy on more of that conversation than I thought you did?" She didn't say anything but just kept staring at him as though her eyes could beat the information out of him. He smirked at her defiance. "Looks like I'll have to up the dose a bit so you don't wake up so soon next time."

"I'm not drinking anymore of your water."

"I didn't think you would but then again that's what the needles are for, hits you quicker too." He said this as he straightened up in his chair and then stood. He crossed around to a desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a slim metal case. He flicked up the clasps and raised the lid as though it were something delicate and lifted out a small, liquid filled syringe with a plastic cap over the needle.

"Don't get anywhere near me with that thing!" She hissed as she awkwardly stood and started for the door that she now realized was closed and probably locked.

"I really don't think you're in any position to be giving me orders Leese. Besides, stop worrying so much, this isn't the needle that would have killed you. It's just more of your sleepy friend." He calmly started to cross over to her where she was now frantically trying to open the door with the hands that were tied behind her back but was failing miserably. It didn't matter that she couldn't even seem to turn the knob in with her frantically shaking hands. It was locked and only Jackson knew how to open it.

"Killed me? You were going to kill me?"

"It was always a possibility. Can't have any loose ends running around trying to tell the police anything about us and you definitely would have been one of those loose ends." He held the syringe off to his right and slightly behind him as he continued his calm approach to her.

Lisa suddenly felt claustrophobic in the small office. He was getting so close to her and she still hadn't managed to open the door. Finally, he was too close and she bolted away from the door and Rippner but she didn't get very far. There was nowhere to run to. She only got a few paces away from him when he caught her. Her momentum and his sudden grip cause her to lose her balance and fall. With her hands still behind her back, she had no way to cushion her fall and landed on her stomach and chest, knocking the wind out of her. Before she could get back up to her feet, Rippner was on her and rolling her onto her back.

"Now that was silly Leese. Where did you think you were going to go?" He straddled her hips with his and just sat on her while he pulled the protective plastic covering off the needle. He saw her wide, terrified eyes as he tapped the side and squirted all of the air from the solution.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She cried out, having finally lost control over her emotions. She was so scared and she couldn't get away. Her arms were pinned painfully behind her back and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

"Why am I doing this Leese? I thought I'd already told you." He saw the frightened confusion on her face and answered in kind with an exaggerated sigh as he pulled up the sleeve on her arm and injected her with the burning liquid that quickly left her feeling numb and groggy. "If I've decided not to kill you," he said and pulled the empty syringe form her arm, "then I'm obviously going to do what I already told you I would." He bent down over her and spoke the last words she'd hear for several days.

"I'm stealing you Leese."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: The reviews have been very encouraging and the emails have been quite interesting. One quick thing, the categories on this fic describe it well and the categories that aren't up there aren't for a very good reason, they don't apply. That's all I'll say about that but keep it coming and even if you don't, I will.

Chapter 3

She was warm and laying in something soft. That was all she knew. Her eyes opened lazily to a white ceiling and a slowly rotating fan. It was one of those fans whose blades were the shape of broad, tropical leaves. The light breeze it generated made a few loose strands of her hair dance around her face, tickling it slightly. She felt so heavy and...God she was so unbelievably thirsty. Her mouth felt like a dry gavel road and her throat mirrored that feeling. Sitting up very slowly, since she wasn't sure if she'd be able to maintain the posture, she looked around. The room was done in varying shades of whites and light tans. The bed she as lying in was covered in a crisp white and very fluffy comforter with about a half dozen coordinated pillows of varying sizes tossed around it. It was large, maybe a king, and she was very tempted to lie back down and succumb to its inviting ways.

She shook her head slightly and in doing so, spotted the large pitcher of water and the glass next to it. Due to the thirst she from which was suffering, she immediately poured herself a glass, managing to spill a good deal on the night table it sat on and the floor beneath it. Both the pitcher and the glass were both made of heavy plastic. Without thinking about the possible consequences of drinking unknown liquids, she downed the first glass and hurried to pour herself a second. Only after finishing the third glass did she remember why drinking water might not be the best thing for her. She remembered that _he_ had drugged her once before with it but dying of thirst wasn't exactly the way she wanted to go either.

Only then did she notice that she wasn't wearing the blouse and skirt she had been on the plane. Instead, she now wore simple linen lounging pants and a plain white crew neck tee shirt. In a moment of utter horror, she checked her undergarments. They too were different. A searing moment of rage left her shaking but it didn't last long. She was too weak to keep up such an exhausting emotion. She slipped her legs over the edge of the bed and gingerly let her feet fall to the cool tile of the floor. Being careful of the water she'd already spilled, she shakily stood up and looked about the room a second time. There was a large window on the opposite wall that at the moment was covered by thin, linen drapes but it was obvious that it was around mid day. The sun seemed to be shining brightly behind it. She walked over to it and pulled the drape back. Her eyes were met with the sparkling ocean and the large breakers that she could see from her high vantage. Whatever kind of building this was, it was obviously built into a cliff. If she tried to break the glass and escape, she would just succeed in jumping to her death.

Letting the curtain fall back, she turned and looked at the rest of the room. Directly opposite the windowed wall was the wall the bed rested against as well as the door to her room. On the wall to her right was another door that was open, revealing a large bathroom done in the same cool whites and warm tans. In the corner was a desk and on top of that desk was a bowl of fruit and a piece of paper. Since she couldn't see it from where she was, she slowly and still groggily made her way over to it. In big bold print at the top of the page was her name.

'LISA'

The rest of the letter made her shake. She didn't know if it was from fear, sadness or fury but it was probably a fair mixture of all three.

It read: 'If you're reading this then you've obviously woken up from your little drug induced mini coma. If you haven't already, you'd do well to drink plenty of the water from the jug I provided. Not only is it _not_ drugged but it is filled with electrolytes and nutrients your body is probably starved for at the moment. You'll begin to feel better fairly soon after drinking it.

Now, you're probably wondering why you're here and instead of telling you in person, I just thought it would be easier to explain the situation in writing while you're still fairly calm as a result of the drugs. I have no doubt that even your pharmaceutical induced calm would overcome seeing me personally at the moment. As I have told you now twice, I have stolen you. Now don't be alarmed by this. It was better than the alternative. Death.

You belong to me now. Now don't get your little feminist ideals all worked up quite yet, at least not until I finish this explanation. Right now you are alone. If you look out your window, you'll see the ocean. It surrounds you as you are now on a small island that is no longer than a mile across and less than a quarter of a mile wide. There are no other dwellings on the island, only the one you are in now.

You are also dead. Well, not physically speaking but in terms of how society views it, you are. A cabbie along with the body of a young woman were found in a rather deadly accident en route to your home. There was a large fire and dental records were needed to verify the identity of the two victims. Also, your purse was found thrown from the car. Needless to say, with the right people you can fake anything.

Though grieving over the loss of his only daughter, Joe Reisert is alive and well. There was no need to do anything about him since he was in no way actively involved in the Lux Job.

Finally, this is _my_ home. I am the only one that can access communication systems with the coast, we are more than thirty miles from the next inhabited land mass and everything you live, eat and breath will be provided by yours truly. So, as I stated before, you belong to me. Now go ahead and let those female emotions run wild. I'll be in to check on you soon.

Oh and Leese, don't try anything foolish like attempting to bash me over the head with that plastic jug or the bowl that the fruit's in. You're going to be with me for a _very_ long time and starting out that way would be, well, unfortunate.

JR'

By the end of the note, she was shaking and crying so violently that she fell to the ground, her legs unwilling to support her exhausted and starving body. This couldn't be. It just couldn't. Everything that had happened to her within the last...however long it had been since before the takeoff of the red eye seemed so surreal at the moment. How had all this happened? How had she gone from her fairly simply, common life to this? The enormity of the situation was so overwhelming at the moment that Lisa just sat there, unmoving for what was probably an hour. She just sat there, with the letter clenched tightly in one fist while her eyes stayed glued to the door of her room.

Why her? Why the Keefes? God, what was happening in her life? What was she going to do next? On the plane, little ideas of how to stop it all had bounced through her head constantly. Some of them she had tried, others she hadn't. She now regretted, as she had since she made the call, that she hadn't tried everything but she had been so worried about her dad. He was the only real grounded thing in her life with the exception of her job. She didn't have anyone or anything else that made her feel safe and protected. He had been one of the few constants in her life but now, he thought she was dead! She started to cry. Would she ever get to see him again? Would she make it out of this hell she'd somehow managed to step into which she couldn't fathom why she deserved?

'Sometimes bad things happen to good people.'

The memory of those words flashed in her mind from time to time without her permission and it only made her feel more helpless. If everything he said in the letter was true, then she couldn't even begin to fathom how she could escape this madman. And that's exactly how she viewed him, a madman. Who else could commit the crimes he does and not show the least bit of remorse? He killed for a living and that fact didn't seem to bother him in the least. Not only that but now he had taken her away from her life more literally than she would ever have thought possible without actually dying. What was he going to do to her? She shuddered at the multitude of possibilities. There were so many things worse than death.

That was how Lisa remained for several hours, just sitting on the floor by the desk and building up the nightmare around her. At some point, she grabbed a trash can as much for the possibility of being sick as for a weapon. She huddled into a corner of the room and didn't dare close her tiered eyes to the door in the opposite corner. She wouldn't go down without a fight, no matter what the note warned. She was not going to be his puppet or his slave.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Just so everyone knows, this is not going to be a romance and it was never going to be. I usually don't let on about what will happen in the future of my stories but didn't see any problems doing it that time.I'm only saying this now because it becomes apparent very soon so I'm not ruining any surprises. Sorry to those who were looking for that but I'm just not clever enough to pull that one off. If I could add another category to the story type, it would be psychological. That's really what this piece is about.

Chapter 4 - Rules

Lisa was still in the corner when the door opened late in the evening. The sun had already set below the horizon but remnants of the light still managed to make it through the linen drapes and bathe the room in hues of orange and later, purple. Jackson cautiously braced himself as he eased the door open and looked inside. The moment he saw the wild mane of auburn hair in the opposite corner of the room from over the top of the bed's mattress, he relaxed and let himself in. He noted that most of the water from the pitcher had been consumed and smiled. Good girl.

Once he made it far enough into the room to fully reveal Lisa's form, he was met with the sight of a woman obviously under a lot of stress that she didn't know how to handle. She was wide eyed and pale, more so than she usually was and she held a small wicker waste basket protectively in from of her. She obviously wasn't thinking too clearly if that was her first weapon of choice from around the room. The lamp with the lampshade removed would have been his first choice and then a few other items before ever deciding on the trash can but he didn't think any less of her. She was terrified and he hoped she was strong enough to survive it with her mind intact though he truly believed she could handle it. He wouldn't have chosen her if he didn't think she could.

She didn't make a move or a sound as he casually walked in and sat down on the end of the bed and looked at her.

"Well Leese, how are you doing?" She didn't answer him and he wasn't surprised in the least. "I'm glad you drank the water, it saved me a lot of trouble." Still, she stayed silent, just watching him. "You were out for four days and that can be pretty trying on a body even though you had an IV for a few hours on the second day. You probably would have survived without it but you'd have been in far worse shape than you were when you woke up. You can thank me for that later" He shifted and crossed his legs. She flinched at the movement, preparing for any kind of physical attack and he saw this. "Don't worry Leese; I'm not going to hurt you. I went through too much time, money and trouble to get you here to just take you out now. You're safe for the moment and you will stay that way as long as you don't cause me too much trouble." Her eyes narrowed at the statement and Jackson was pleased that he got a reaction from her even if it was such a small one. He continued. 

"So I guess now is as good a time as any to let you know of the rules. First thing you should know is that I'll always know where you are at all times. You've been fitted with a monitoring tag. Basically, it tells me where you are within a few feet anywhere on the globe but since you can't really travel the globe; it's accurate to within a few feet anywhere on the island. It also monitors a few of your vitals, mainly heartbeat, to let me know that you're alive." He paused for a moment to see if she had anything to say but when she remained silent, he kept going. "Second, you'll be confined to this room at all times unless you are under my direct supervision until I think you can be trusted to move more freely about the house on your own. When that will happen is entirely up to you. Basically, attacking me in any way would keep you here while behaving could get you more privileges. Eventually, you can work up to having free reign over the entire island without visual supervision which is really what I'd prefer to have since letting you take care of yourself while I'm out on business would be the best option for the both of us. Also, just so you know, if you did, under very unlikely circumstances manage to kill me, like I'm more than aware you'd love to do right now, then by my dying orders, you would be escorted to your still very healthy and alive father where you would watch him die a very slow and painful death before being killed in a similar manner yourself. And last but certainly not least, you decide to be noble and take your own life, rest assured, your father won't be long in following you but I'll see to it personally that he travels down a far more painful road than the one you took."

Lisa's once narrowed and defiant eyes widened again at the blunt threats. She knew he wasn't fooling around and that he was most certainly not lying about the last two facts he'd told her. Her grip on the waste basket loosened visibly as the threat shook her. Every time she thought she'd hit bottom, he came in and showed her a new low.

"Why?" She whispered out and drew her no longer defiant gaze away from his cold one.

He could toy with her some more but he knew she was dangerously close to having a breakdown, so he decided to play it straight with her for once. "I didn't want to kill you. You were too interesting and attractive." It was the truth, as simple as that.

"You'll never let me out of here, will you?" She felt so cold inside, like she was dying.

"Like I said, I'll let you out of the room once I'm confident you won't try to hurt me or yourself for that matter but as far as letting you go. No. Even I've got rules I have to follow concerning this. You're still considered a liability to the company and the only reason you're still alive is because I want it that way. My bosses and colleagues are confident that I can keep you from causing them any trouble now or in the future."

"What are you going to do to me?" She asked her darkest fear. She had nothing else to lose it seemed and asking about his future plans for her was the only thing she could think to do at the moment.

"Well that's entirely up to you Leese. If you prove to be more trouble than you're worth, then I'll have to get rid of you. Beyond that priceless tidbit, I don't have any other concrete plans as of yet. I only really decided to do this for sure on the plane so..." He ended the sentence there.

"I don't want to be here." She said as much to herself as she did to him.

He regarded her for a moment before responding. "I know and I don't have any illusions that you ever will. It would be best for you though, if you don't express that desire in any violent ways." When she didn't respond or say anything else, he asked, "Are you hungry?"

Her eyes snapped up to his at the sudden and jarring change of conversation. She just stared at him. She was starving but she had no intention of giving him anything else, not even the satisfaction of having to rely on him for food.

He saw the defiance return to her eyes immediately and debated for a moment on how to handle it. He could either let her have her way for a while and go hungry for a few more days or he could force her to eat using threats. After a moment's deliberation, he decided that he didn't have time to drag this out and that her body was already in pretty bad shape from the fairly dangerous drug he'd pumped into her. Besides, the sooner she started acting according to a compliant captive's parameters, the better.

"Don't Leese. You and I both know that I'm not going to let you starve." His voice has an aire of bored indifference. "A hunger strike won't work with me so don't make me throw around more threats, they'll start to lose their impact if I have to use them with every single little mundane task I ask you to do." The fire left her eyes. "Good. Now I'll get you something to tide you over for the evening."

"You told me you never lied." She said so quietly he almost missed it.

That caught his attention. He wondered why she'd said it. He'd never given her any reason to trust him, not even in the cafe before the flight so why did it sound like he'd disappointed her somehow? "Not quite Leese. I said I hadn't lied to you and up to that point I hadn't because my mind wasn't made up yet on bringing you here. I also said I didn't lie to you because it didn't serve me. Any lies since then have served me. But come on, anyone who tells you they aren't lying to you in the type of situation you were in, probably shouldn't be taken at his word anyway." He sounded like he was lecturing a child who wasn't practicing common sense. "You're not an idiot Leese so stop acting like one." With that he stood up and left the room.

She heard the electric lock slide back into place after he shut the door and Lisa let out a long, exhausted sigh. Where had her determination gone? Was she just going to role over and do anything he told her to? Right now it felt like she might but she was just too physically exhausted and too emotionally drained to fight back right now. Maybe tomorrow she could start formulating a plan, a plan to take her life back somehow but at the moment, even as she thought that, she felt the hopelessness of the situation creeping up and trying to suffocate her.

Jackson returned a half hour later with a sandwich and some fruit juice but found Lisa asleep in her little chosen corner of safety. He watched her sleep in her little curled ball as she wrapped herself around the basket she'd been clutching when he'd entered the room earlier. She'd been surprisingly subdued when he'd come to see her and though he'd expected more fight from the girl, he wasn't disappointed. It meant either that he didn't need to break her down anymore or that he was almost to the point where he wouldn't have to. He walked into the bathroom and made sure for the tenth time that she'd have everything she needed when she woke up. He knew she had plenty of clothing to choose from in the closet and chest of drawers. Tomorrow would prove to be an interesting day no matter what happened. He'd manipulated people into doing what he wanted before but that had always been on a short term basis until a job was completed. With Lisa, it was more for the long haul.

Jackson's thoughts turned to all the other people in his line of work that had already done something similar to this. It was actually fairly common, no one in the company was married in the traditional sense and the closest cases to that archaic gimmick were two members of the company that stuck to one another on a long term basis. Many, however, found keeping 'birds' was a much easier and much more satisfying arrangement. Birds were almost always women. It just wasn't as practical for the female members of the company to acquire men like this for the simple fact that women, as a general rule, are less physically powerful than their male counterparts. He personally knew six other men that had already done this and knew of at least a dozen others that had before them. Most had met with what could be termed success in the endeavor and he could only think of two cases where the birds were too hard to control and met with the original fate that would have befell them if the company member hadn't wanted to keep them in the first place.

Birds were often people that played an important role in a job, much like Lisa and were going to be disposed of after the job anyway. Why waste a perfectly good woman, or man in rare cases, when you could just take them with you? They had been known to be the hit themselves and on rare occasions, a completely uninvolved, innocent person was chosen for one reason or another.

Whatever the reasoning, the process always began with isolating and slowly manipulating the bird until they firmly believed that there was no hope of ever escaping their situation. Some of them even became emotionally attached to their captor though Jackson doubted that would be the case with Lisa. He would try to instill that in her but he sure wasn't going to hold his breath. It wasn't all that important to him anyway though it would be a nice perk if it happened. The final goal to be reached in all this was to eventually be able to leave the bird in a public place without them trying to escape. Hence the derivation of the term to begin with, cage a bird for long enough and it will eventually stay in its cage even if the door is left wide open. He knew it would take a long time, probably years especially since he still had to get jobs done in the process. He'd have to work on her in his down time but luckily that always came in abundance in this line of work.

Right now, he just needed to make sure he could let her have the roam of the house and keep herself healthy while he left for weeks at a time. He hoped it wouldn't take too long since he was sure he'd be called in sometime soon and he didn't want to have anyone else 'birdsit' for him while he was gone. The company was more than aware of his decision and would probably give him a month before calling him back. They had something of a stake in the process going well too. If she ever got away and tried to tell any of a multitude of law enforcement agencies about them, no matter how little she really knew, she would become a major liability to the company as a whole and Jackson would lose his credibility. He hadn't made this decision lightly and knew the high risk it entailed as well as the possible negative consequences if he failed. There were, of course, definite perks to taking on such a project and though Jackson would be more than happy to indulge in them when time came, he was mostly doing it simply to see if he could. He just needed to play the part and get her to play the one he wanted her to. Until then he would just content himself with the task of getting her started. It was sure to be entertaining as well as educational. It was like having a giant, intelligent lab rat. Her responses to different stimuli over a long duration of time would be interesting to say the least. He looked forward to the challenge.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Birds

When Lisa woke the next morning, she immediately realized that she'd been placed in the bed by someone, most likely Jackson, at some point in the night since she was nearly positive they were the only two people on this island. She shivered at the thought of him touching her, especially when she didn't know it and couldn't stop it. She knew the smell of coffee had woken her up and she looked over at the night stand. In place of the water pitcher and glass, a coffee carafe and a mug stood. Both were plastic again but she didn't care. She greedily poured herself a cup of the aromatic liquid and lightly blew on the steaming cup. The bowl of fruit was still sitting on the desk like it had been yesterday but the disturbing note was gone and thankfully, nothing had replaced it. Remembering his vague but powerful threat yesterday about not eating, she slipped out of bed and padded over the tiled floor and grabbed a banana that was just starting to show tinges of brown near the stem.

She ate quietly while sipping her coffee and began to try and sort her situation out. The full night's sleep had left her feeling refreshed and more able to deal with her unbelievable situation. She knew needed to gain his trust, to get him to let his guard down and get the liberties to wander the island without him as he'd told her she could someday. Then she could figure out a way off this island and back to the life she'd known. Just as she began her plans on how to get him to trust her, she heard a knock on the door. At first she didn't know how to respond but then she heard his voice on the other side.

"Are you descent Leese?"

Should she answer? She thought to herself but she wasn't given a chance to dwell on it.

"If you're not, you better cover up because I'm coming in anyway."

At that moment, Lisa was incredibly grateful that she hadn't decided to use the shower yet. Another shiver coursed down her spine when she thought of the possible consequences behind that one. Instinctively, she moved behind the desk when the door started to open, setting down the banana peel but continuing to hold onto her plastic mug.

"Good, you're up...and eating I see. Now, how are you this morning?"

"Don't."

"Don't what?" He was genuinely curious in what she was referring to.

"Don't patronize me by asking how I'm feeling." She clenched her fists when she saw him smirk at her reply. She wanted to smack it right off his face.

"Someone sure woke up on the wrong side of the bed, didn't they but I'm feeling magnanimous today so I'll indulge you by putting it a different way." He had made himself comfortable on the side of the bed and refreshed the ceramic mug he was holding with the coffee on the bedside table. "Are you still feeling the effects of the drug or do you feel like your old, cheerless self?"

She scowled at him but answered. "I'm fine."

"Good but you still need something with salt and protein in it. I've got some breakfast made. Are you going to behave yourself if I bring you out there or should I just bring it here? Either way, we'll be eating together."

She knew he added that last bit because she had just been about to opt for her room if that meant staying away from him. He'd guessed right about her reaction much to her displeasure. She hated the way he was treating her, like some wayward child but if she wanted to get out of here, leaving the room would be the first step.

"I'll come out." She said tersely but didn't move.

"Well then, let's go." When she still didn't move once he stood up and made to leave through the door, he turned back to her. "I'm guessing that you'd have to follow me out in order to make it to the kitchen." Lisa shot him another scathing look but slipped from behind the desk. "You should wear something on your feet, like sandals or something. They're in the closet."

Lisa stopped for a moment. Her feet _were_ cold but she didn't expect what he'd said. Reflexively, she looked down at her feet and then over to his. He was wearing simple sandals with his kaki pants and white tee. She was hit with the thought that seeing Jackson Rippner, the killer, in sandals was a little unsettling. Like seeing a cute, furry bunny hopping casually through a gruesome scene of a horror film, it just didn't fit.

She flinched away toward the desk again when he walked closer to her but he then veered off toward the closet. He opened it up and grabbed some flat wooden sandals with soft twine for straps and tossed then in her general direction.

"Now hurry up, I hate cold eggs." He said and walked to the door. He stopped and turned his head to see if she was following. A moment of silence passed before he saw her look at the sandals again before moving to put them on. When she was done, he walked out ahead of her, keeping her in his peripheral vision. They didn't have to go very far as the room abutted right up to the main living area.

It was open and bright. The kitchen was separated from the living room by a tiled bar with stools arranged around it. The same basic style of Lisa's new room dominated the rest of the house she could see as well. It was all very tranquil and soft, like an expensive beach house. Had Lisa been paying attention to the décor, she would have liked it but as it was, she was keeping all of her attention on the man leading her to the bar where two plates of food sat still steaming.

Jackson made his way to the plate that sat on the kitchen side of the bar while he directed Lisa with a simple gesture of his hand to sit across from him. He sat down casually and then looked up at Lisa. Warily, she made her way over to her seat and gingerly sat down. He saw her look from his plate to hers, noting the difference between the two and it wasn't the food that caught her attention. His plate was simple white china while hers was the white plastic type that you'd take with you camping. His fork was metal while hers was plastic. He wanted to laugh at the way she reacted to everything. Once she'd finished her appraisal of their dinning implements, she adjusted herself strategically in her seat. She looked as though she believed he was going to jump across the bar and try to strangle her. Lucky for her, his tastes didn't run in that vein and she was in no danger of such a thing happening.

He answered her unspoken question about the dinnerware. "Can't be giving you potential weapons quite yet. You're acting well so far but I trust you just about as far as I can throw you at this point."

Looking particularly perturbed by the insight, Lisa readjusted her position yet again in another manner that would allow her a quick escape if something unexpected happened but as it was, nothing did. Jackson just kept looking at her as though he were waiting for something. After a minute of uncomfortable silence and his ice like stare, Lisa finally couldn't take it anymore.

"What?" She asked with all the irritation she was currently feeling.

Without missing a beat, Jackson gestured at her food and said, "Ladies first."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Spare me the chivalrous act." But she picked up her fork all the same and the moment she did, he did so as well. "Is it just food or..."

"Just eat it. You're already where I want you so be rest assured that there won't be anymore food or beverage surprises." With that said, he waited for her to take the first bite. When she just stared at it with her fork in her hand and did nothing, he spoke calmly but with an edge of warning to it. "Don't make me repeat myself Leese."

She took her attention off the cooling eggs in front of her and up to the face she'd once found striking. She wanted to grab the plate of eggs and throw them at him. She considered it seriously for a moment before reason took over. She needed to get on his good side and covering him with eggs probably wasn't the best way to go about it at the moment. Instead, she swallowed her pride and re-stabbed a fresh glob of scrambled egg. Lifting it to her mouth, she hesitated for a second to look at him, his eyebrow raised before she plopped it in.

Jackson allowed himself to smile. "Good girl."

She shot him a scathing glare as she chewed "Stop that." She said right after she swallowed. She saw him cock his head in silent question. "I don't want you complimenting me like that every time I do something you wanted me to. I'm not your damn dog."

"You're quite right about that one Leese. You're most certainly not my dog, but you are my bird."

She stopped chewing mid bite to look out at him through the tops of her eyes before furrowing her brow. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked tersely.

He chuckled. It was going to be fun explaining it to her. It was going to piss her off, might even get her mad enough to act out physically. He decided to keep a close watch on her hands and what was in them as he explained the situation in which she now found herself. It needed to be done early on in the process anyway. Let them know where they stand so they can start to get used to the idea. Push it off and you're only inviting blowback later on that might even dictate starting over at square one. It just wasn't logical and out of all the ways Jackson could describe himself, logical was his adjective of choice.

She stared in wide mouthed horror as he explained the finer details of acquiring a bird. He didn't go into how he planned on manipulating her and molding her into exactly what he wanted, it would be counterproductive on one such as Lisa. Instead he mainly kept to how such an activity came about and how surprisingly often it's done. Basically, he tailored the speech to fit her specifically, to fit the type of woman she was and the type of situation she was in. He wanted her to be shocked by it and there was no doubt in his mind that she was. He had to be careful. If he told her too little, she wouldn't fully understand the situation and he'd have to re-explain it later; but, he also didn't want to tell her too much and thus create an overly defiant bird that would be difficult to control and mold. He just let her know what he though she should. She didn't interrupt him once during his impromptu but easily understood speech.

For Lisa, it may have been easily understood in terms of hard facts but unimaginable in terms of its concept and the fact that such a despicable thing happened at all. It terrified her to think that she wasn't the first victim of this and would most likely not be the last. The entire time he spoke, she hadn't been able to keep her visual focus on anything as her mind was too wrapped up in the implications of his words. She stared alternately at her plate, into his frightening eyes and out the window at the far wall of the room.

When he finally finished filling her in on all the information he wanted her to know, he stopped and awaited her inevitable response. Half the fun was waiting to see exactly what that response would entail. The other half had been observing her reactions while telling her. He'd loved the variety of different emotions that had been prominently displayed across every part of her body from her features to her posture. She hadn't hidden it and probably wouldn't have been able to do so even if she'd tried.

"It's slavery." She whispered out, incredulous and still dumbfounded by what he'd just told her. It didn't help that he'd delivered the whole speech in a matter of fact tone, as though it were an everyday topic of polite conversation, like discussing the newest hit show on television and nothing to be upset about.

"That's one way of putting it I suppose." He confirmed.

Her eyes moved down to her plate in an attempt to focus her mind. Looking at him never helped her focus. "But that's...it's...you can't just..." But she never finished. Jackson decided to jump in before she could get any farther.

"I can't? But I already did and quite successfully I should add. But what else were you going to say?" He put his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his clasped hands. He spoke with a mocking air of confoundedness, as though he expected her to be just fine with the situation after everything he'd just told her. "That it's unimaginable or barbaric? That it doesn't happen anymore? Well, I'm sorry to be the one to break the news to you Leese but the world we all live in is not the utopia you seem to think it is. You may want it that way but the reality of it should be plain enough for you to see by now." His tone was no longer mocking as it gradually morphed into something that sent shivers running down her spine. "You of all people know that you don't always get what you want. Hell, you could be the poster child for that saying about now." He ignored the heated glance she gave him and the open mouthed gape that screamed 'how can you do and say this and still be human'. "It's all around us. In every country on the planet just as it always has been and always will be. It's more pronounced in some places than in others but trust me when I tell you that you're suffering from one of the more high class forms of it. You could be a woman in the Congo with its civil wars right now and enduring the real life hell that's going on there. But no, you're here on a beautiful subtropical island living what could only be calle the good life if you let it be."

Lisa didn't have anything good to say for a retort. She still couldn't wrap her mind around what was going on.

"What's the matter Leese? Don't like what you hear? Well, I kinda expected that so, since it looks like you're done, let's get you back to your room and let your mind get used to the concept." He stood up and rounded the bar cautiously in case she tried anything but she just sat there. Only when he reached a hand out to grab her arm did she react by moving away before he had the chance to touch her. He didn't press her but just stood back and waited for her to follow him. Just when he though life was going to get a little more difficult, he saw tears escape from her eyes and begin to trickle down those smooth cheeks of hers. She then moved toward him slightly, slowing when he didn't move right away. He escorted her back to her room and she passed through the door quickly, obviously wanting to get away from him.

"Keep this in mind while you're in here. No matter what happens, you need to know that you'll never get out of this. Fight it and it's only going to be difficult for you and, if need be, the people you care about." With that, he closed and locked the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Tantrums

Three weeks passed with little commotion. Jackson still kept Lisa confined to her room but was seriously considering allowing hera trial period around the house during the day. He didn't trust her by any stretch of the imagination but she'd been acting surprisingly well for someone in her position. She would be unable todo any damage if he let her roam about anyway. All the rooms that held anything important like computers and satellite phones would be securely locked. Besides, although he was generally a very patient man, it didn't mean he wasn't going to try to move things along if possible. As long as she kept showing signs of improvement, there was no reason not to allow the situation to progress as quickly as possible. That wasn't to say that there hadn't been a few hiccups during the week.

The first case occurred when Lisa found out first hand that the windows were constructed with bullet proof glass after she tried throwing the chair of her desk against it repeatedly. He wasn't sure how many thuds he heard before he reached the room and stepped inside but it was enough to drive him crazy while looking through proposals for several possible jobs the company was considering taking on.

"That's not going to work." She had spun around, not having heard his entrance with all the incessant noise she'd been making. "But you might manage to scratch it which is fine with me as this is your room and not mine. What exactly were you planning to do once you broke it anyway? You weren't planning on jumping, were you?"

She'd pinned him with an icy glare of contempt upon being accusedof trying to kill herself. "No. But..."

"But what? Plan on scaling the wall to the roof? I'd be more impressed if you could pull that off than if you managed to get the window open."

"Shut up."

"Just stop it, alright? I can't hear myself think out there. Also, once you break the chair, I'm not going to replace it." He knew his attitude and tone over the whole situation annoyed her more than anything else but there was no way she would be able to draw him into some kind of argument over something as ridiculous as what she'd just been attempting. Besides, he didn't even think she was really trying to escape. She wasn't stupid enough to believe she could but she was definitely frustrated and probably bored. He'd bring her a few books from his personal library and let her channel her emotions and pent up energy in a different, more productive way. If she destroyed his books though, he'd be pissed.

Another time, a few days later she'd started yelling at him over dinner quite suddenly and unprovoked in his opinion. It was a shock since she was usually so quiet when they ate together which comprised every meal. It was one of the important stages in moving her along. He'd laughed when he'd first been told that the old adage 'the family that eats together stays together' was one of the most effective means of establishing a bond between bird and host. Another vital step was achieving, at the very least, a semi consensual sexual relationship. Despite the appeal of the latter, Jackson contented himself with meals for the moment. Though he easily could have forced the issue, Lisa just wasn't ready for that step...yet.

They'd been eating peaceably enough when all of a sudden she'd sent her meal of scalloped potatoes and hamburger crashing to the floor with a quick swipe of her hand.

"Is there something on your mind?" He asked after he'd calmly wiped his mouth with his napkin in a slightly exaggerated manner. She was breathing heavily as stared at him malevolently for a moment before launching into a yelling fit.

"YOU'RE INSANE! KEEPING ME HERE LIKE THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INSANE." She'd stood up but wasn't making any moves to run from the room. "WHAT DO YOU PLAN ON DOING? LIVING LIKE THIS, LIKE WE'RE SOME SORT OF SICK TWISTED FAMILY. IT'S COMPLETELY FUCKING INSANE!" By the time she'd finished, and she'd had plenty more to say on the matter but it had been simply more repetition of the same rather than anything new, she was quite literally panting and shaking from her sudden outburst.

"Are you done?" He asked.

She said nothing and he continued. "Now do you actually want me to answer the gist of your little conniption fit or was that more of a rhetorical tirade?"

When she didn't answer, he decided he would. He just couldn't help himself. It had been all too amusing and he rather liked explaining his point of view on things. He didn't do it to try and win her over to his mindset or even to get her to understand where he was coming from. He did it because of the hilarious expressions she'd make at his logical arguments. He doubted that she found them reasonable or that many people would for that matter but not many people lived in the world that he did, where killing for money was quite common place.

"I wouldn't classify myself as insane per se, but I'm sure if you got a head shrink in here he'd say that I was suffering from one form of antisocial personality disorder or another but insane? No, _I_ don't think I am." There it was, that priceless look that he just couldn't help but smirk at. "At least that's what one of them told me once but still, it doesn't really mean I'm insane. It just means that I tend to be indifferent when it comes to the type of traumatic situations that would cause most others to become emotionally excited. At least that's what the doc said right before he gave me a clean bill of health to begin doing what I do best. Not surprisingly, it's actually very common among my associates and anyone else within the profession."

Still she didn't say anything. Instead she turned her back on him and started to walk away.

He of course, jumped up from his chair to keep her from running wild around the house but she didn't do anything of the sort. Instead she just calmly walked back to her room and shut the door behind her. He laughed and scratched his head when he looked down at the mess on the floor.

"Don't worry about the mess Leese; I'll just go ahead and clean it up." He shouted to her so she could hear him from the other side of the door. He'd then locked it and cleaned up the evidence of her little tantrum.

There were a couple of other fairly amusing displays similar to those two but nothing too violent or drastic. It made him think of a colt that would nip at its dame just to find out how long it could keep it up before getting nipped in return. If that were really what she was doing by testing his boundaries, then it was going to take a lot more than that for him to nip back. Doing so would only be counterproductive to his end goal. If anything, he enjoyed it but she was going about it entirely wrong. She probably expected certain reactions from her different episodes of acting out but got results she didn't expect or understand. She was making the mistake of thinking he'd react like anyone else, however; he was a man that didn't really feel remorse or pity. He was unable to identify with people in a way that would make those emotions possible.

There were a lot of emotions that he knew other people suffered from that he would never be afflicted with. Fear, love, compassion, jealousy, all of these meant nothing to him. He knew other people experienced them and because he was aware of that, he knew how to exploit them. Lisa had made the call on the red eye based on emotions he'd never know or fully understand. She feared the death of her father. She sympathized with the pain he might feel and was terrified of the sadness his death would cause. In the end, it was her emotions that allowed him to successfully pull off the mission

On the other end of the spectrum, Jackson had seen his parents murdered in cold blood and he only had one thought at the time. _Huh, wonder what's going to happen to me now?_

It's what made him so successful at his job. He could so accurately gage those pesky emotions that ran through people's eyes as he spoke to them and was able to, in turn, play on them perfectly. He was known in the business for excelling at it and that's exactly why no one had balked about his hands on involvement in the Keefe job. Jackson was perfectly made to play the part.

It didn't mean that he was devoid of emotion all together. He wasn't an unfeeling robot that just walked around. No, he was capable of a few doozies. Rage, hate, lust, annoyance and vindictiveness were ones he knew well but they rarely made a sizable impact on his life. He managed to keep them below the surface and they only got out in extreme situations, something he hadn't been in for years.

During the red eye flight, annoyance was the only emotion he ever really felt. She'd been so persistent in trying to fuck up his plans that she'd managed to really get on his nerves. It was probably the driving factor behind her being alive at the moment. She made him feel something even if it was only as mundane as irritation. It was an accomplishment very few people were capable of and as a result, she now sat in his spare room trying desperately to figure out a way to escape him but he had no intention of letting her go. At the moment she was far too amusing.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – Pictures

Lisa stood with her ear pressed against the surface of her prison door. She didn't hear anything; not even the jazz he often had playing or the sound of commotion in the kitchen. She took what she heard as an opportunity to dash into the bathroom, undress quickly and jump into the shower.

She hated bathing because she was terrified that each time she did, Jackson would come in and do something terrible. She had gotten rather good at the routine of speed showering, accomplishing all the necessities in less than two minutes and it didn't take her long to get dressed again. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. She knew it was a sad thing to take solace in. Her clothing was only a thin protective shield against him and if he ever decided to do anything, there wouldn't be much she could do against it. She sighed as she looked at her sodden reflection in the mirror that didn't have enough time to get steamed up from her speedy shower. She was angry at how healthy she looked. She'd been here for three weeks and she didn't even have dark circles under her eyes. What had happened to the defiance she'd planned out each day?

It was hard to cope with. He never did anything to her. Besides the snide remarks she knew were aimed at getting a rise out of her and the occasional lewd retorts he made to some of her more easily misconstrued comments, he had played the part of the gentlemen. It was eerie how easily he could turn it on and off. The man she spent so much of her time with, reminded her of the one she'd thought he was before the flight but she knew better. Every once in awhile she'd see the real Jack or at least what she thought was the real Jack. But most of the time, he just tried to engage her in simple conversational banter.

The plan she'd had to thwart him at every turn wasn't exactly going like she'd hoped. He never did anything but make her meals and try to engage her in aimless chit chat. She didn't dare refuse his food because the consequences were too great and her near constant silence didn't seem to bother him at all.

When she tried to do something to get him angry without jeopardizing the lives of her family, he just seemed to brush it off. Most of the time, she felt like the family pet that did things to get attention only to have the owner find its antics amusing. It was infuriating. Then, when she was _finally_ presented with an opportunity to take action, he only gave it to her after he did or showed her something so emotionally traumatizing that she couldn't focus quickly enough to do anything about it.

For example, two weeks ago he showed her something that both lifted her spirits and threw them to the gutter at the same time. She'd been sitting in her room like always when there was a knock at the door. She didn't evenbother answering. He would come in no matter what she said; she found that out after trying a variety of responses. He just did it to give her a heads up which was another respectful gesture that confused her. He'd entered justlike she knew he would.

"I have something for you Leese." She saw the folder he held casually in his hand. "I just thought it might be something you'd like to take a look at. Just showing that your dear old dad is alive and kicking." He'd tossed it on the bed and in doing so, some of its contents peaked out from the side of it. She could see the distinctive edges of glossy pictures. He'd then turned and left the room after not even bothering to enter fully.

She looked at the file with an equal mixture of anticipation and dread. She wearily walked over to the bed and sat down next to it. She lightly fingered the edge of the exposed photograph which revealed nothing but what looked like trees before opening it up while it remained on the bed.

It took her a moment to realize what she was looking at. She knew immediately that it was a funeral. There was a large gathering of people all dressed in somber shades of black. It was taken at a distance and revealed many grave markers in the foreground of the picture with the funeral set against a dense line of trees. When realization hit her, she almost fainted.

She was looking at **_her_** funeral.

She didn't touch the pile of almost six or seven photos for an hour. She just stared at the first one. It wasn't until she slid the first one from the top of the pile, revealing her grieving father among the crowd that she began to cry. She put her hand up to her mouth when the first sob erupted from deep within her. She wept for hours just looking at her father. She fell asleep next to those pictures, having only looked at two of them. The rest she dejectedly sifted through during the duration of the night when she woke. Everyone she knew was in those pictures. Her father, mother, Cynthia, several colleagues from work, childhood friends and families, as well as relatives she hadn't seen in years. All of them looked so sad. So plaintive over the death of someone they didn't even know wasn't truly dead.

It was so hard to look at and even harder to believe. She knew he'd told her that they'd faked her death but she guessed she really hadn't believed it fully until she sat looking the pictures. She'd fallen asleep again only to be woken by Jackson with his routine breakfast call. He'd acted like nothing was different but then again, nothing really was for him or even her for that matter. The pictures just confirmed what he'd already told her when she'd first woken up in this place. They'd eaten their omelets in complete silence and for once she actually felt grateful to him. She didn't think she could have handled his usual sarcastic wit. He seemed to know that as he just let her eat breakfast and then return to her room without a word. Later that night, she'd thrown her dinner of scalloped potatoes and hamburger against the wall and screamed at him.

Later, she realized that the only useful thing to come from those pictures was the fact that she now knew that he had access to some type of computer system. The pictures had been printed on the type of paper you buy for your home computer. There was no way that he had traveled to her funeral and taken the pictures himself so he must have had someone else do it for him. They must have emailed or been received through other means else gotten them to him. It was the first helpful clue that gave her any amount of hope at getting away from him. If she could somehow get access to it, then maybe she could contact someone that could help her out of this mess.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: This is a big thanks to emptyvoices who's been taking her time to do some much needed beta work on my last three chaps along with this one. Thanks a bunch. Also, a continued thanks to everyone who keeps sending me encouraging reviews and interesting guesses on what's to come, I hope I don't disappoint.

Finally, I'm going out of town for the weekend and my tent is set up with internet capability so...sorry but you might not see another update until Monday or so. Till then, tata.

Chapter 8 - The Past

Nearly a month had passed and Jackson was still unprepared to leave Lisa with unfettered access to the house. He'd just finished a call with his employers and he was needed on business. It had been one month to the day and he smirked. _These guys didn't screw around._ A month is what he thought they'd give him and that's exactly what he received. Luckily for Lisa, or probably unlucky from her point of view, he was only needed for three days. That meant a day of travel there, three spent with his employers and then one for the return trip. He'd originally made arrangements for durations of up to ten days with her all alone and confined to the single room. Five was not going to pose a problem.

The plan was simple enough in both its conception and its implementation. Give Lisa enough food to last for the span of his absence and everything should be fine. Baring any outside factors, he could probably supply her with enough food to last her months inside that little room but it was the outside factors that didn't make that a viable option. Time spent with only herself for company could give her too many ideas. She might build up the courage, with enough private pep talks to herself, to start rebelling against the hold he now had over her. His constant influence on her in the attempt to slowly erode her sense of personal identity was vital but he didn't think five days would undo any of the progress that he'd made.

He also wasn't entirely sure how she'd react to being left all alone on the island. After all, it was a house she couldn't possibly understand with the table scraps of information he'd provided her. He was positive that she didn't even understand the mechanism that locked the doors. There was always the possibility that she might develop a nasty case of claustrophobia and do something rash to herself. He really didn't want that to occur but he was still confident that she had a strong enough mind to avoid such a 'tragedy'.

From one of the large storage sheds outside the house, he grabbed a dolly using it to haul a small refrigerator, about the height of a standard counter and a couple feet wide as well as deep. This would serve nicely to ensure that she had fresh fruits and processed meats available during his absence. He finished gathering everything he needed her to have while he was gone and decided to let her in on the news. He could only imagine that she'd be pleased to hear it.

He gave his customary warning knock before letting himself into her room. He knew Lisa had just finished showering and enjoyed the idea of suddenly appearing now. It wasn't that he thought he might get a look at her. She'd been finished too long but he knew her hair would still be wet. He liked the way it looked while it was still damp. He wasn't entirely sure why but that was beside the point. Also, he knew it would fluster her.

There were a few things that she had begun to pay less and less attention to as the weeks went by. For one, she no longer sat on her chair as though he could attack her at any time. His constant docile physical behavior had caused her to let her guard down in that respect. She also no longer toyed with her food like she once did when she had the habit of visually inspecting it and even sniffing at it before finally deciding to eat.

His plan was already having the desired effect on the helpless woman. Without her even being aware of it, she was slowly settling into a routine that she was comfortable with at some level. That wasn't to say she was happy about her current situation but she was definitely becoming complacent and Jackson gave himself a mental pat on the back for the approach he'd decided to take. There were still areas he needed to work on though. She was still incredibly quiet and she only spoke when he really got on her nerves. It didn't help that most of the topics he only mildly attempted to start centered on subjects that would make her uncomfortable. The most notable of such conversations had taken place three days ago and she hadn't said a single word since.

Her scar.

He'd been curious about it on the plane but he'd been too busy trying to kill neutralize the Keefes for his employer's clients at the time to ask many questions about it. He'd forgotten about it after stealing her until he had to change her out of her old cloths.

Getting rid of any personal belonging to the birds was another form of mental attack. There was nothing they could cling to, nothing that would remind them of their old lives and nothing to provide them comfort. Even though he'd seen all of her, it had not been sexual in the least. She'd been in the same cloths for three days by that time and it was not the erotic activity that others might think it could have been. All he did was remove them, cleanse her body with a cloth and then redressed her in the fresh cloths he provided. However, the activity had reminded him of that scar that had seemed to distress her even more than she already had been on the plane.

They'd been sitting at the table, eating cold cut sandwiches for lunch when he decided to broach the subject once more.

"So how _did_ you get that scar Leese?" There it was again, that look of complete and utter discomfort. He knew at that moment that this conversation would be interesting if he actually was able to get her to talk. He was confident however as he tended to be very good at achieving what he wanted.

She didn't even cast him her usual scathing glare like she did with all other topics of conversation that he brought up in which she'd no desire to participate. She just stared at her hand that still held the turkey on rye.

"Let me guess." He took a sip of his water while looking up at the ceiling as if in deep contemplation. "You…were…let's see, how about an auto accident." He looked at her for a response but she was still staring at the same sandwich. It looked like she was starting to shiver as he leaned down to get a better look at her downcast face.

"I'm going to take that as a no. So, it must have been something worse in terms of emotionally traumatic eh?" She still didn't move. "Were you mugged then?" Still, no response came from her side of the table. "I'm going to take that as another no." He saw her tears begin to glisten inside her eyes as they began to gather volume in preparation for a daring escape.

"More traumatic than being injured with a knife in a mugging?" Now she looked at him for only for a moment before immediately tearing her eyes away from his once more. "Wow," he said with mock astonishment, "it must really have been something terrible."

She started to get up and head to her room but didn't make it that far.

"Sit. Back. Down." He hadn't used such a commanding tone with her in so long that it had the desired effect. Before when she'd done something she thought he wouldn't like, he just ignored her but this time he seemed genuinely upset at her attempted exit. She sat back down.

"Was it…" his tone became what would have been comforting if it had been delivered by anyone else, "of a sexual nature Leese?"

She closed her eyes and the flood gates were opened. A single tear escaped simultaneously from each eye and Jackson watched with concealed glee at the impact his words had. So she was raped.

"Was it rape, Leese?"

"Why are you so cruel to me?" She asked quietly.

"What do you mean? I had nothing to do with that but since you're talking now; when did it happen?"

She was silent again.

"Leese, don't make me ask again. I don't think you'll appreciate the manner in which I will."

She nodded her head. He let her get away with that form of answer for now, just pleased she'd answered without him having to resort to other methods.

"Someone you knew?" He asked, genuinely curious about this event in her life that he'd had no prior knowledge about and he thought he knew everything there was to know. She obviously hadn't pressed charges because nothing in the database had indicated that she'd ever been involved with the cops for more then a speeding ticket. He found it odd considering her father was retired from the force.

She shook her head 'no' but said nothing and continued to look out the window to the ocean breakers below.

"I'm surprised it happened to you." He said in all honesty.

She shot him a confused and angry glare. She didn't want to talk about this, especially with him of all people. She'd never told anyone, not even her father. She hadn't seen his face, he'd used a condom and she hadn't even been able to scratch him. She hadn't wanted to live through the insanity of talking to the police only to be told that they rarely catch guys like this. She knew how the system worked; her father had imparted enough knowledge on her to know that.

For the longest time she was terrified to go outside alone but started concealing it better after her dad started getting concerned over her new behavior. She didn't want him to know because he would insist that she go to the department no matter how much time had passed since it happened. She'd always heard about how so many women felt ashamed after the incident. She did too but not because of the rape but because she played the coward and told no one.

Later she berated herself even further when she realized that her not coming forward might have put other women at greater risk. She'd acted so selfishly. What if the cops had been able to find something or the guy had a pattern. The scar was more than a reminder of that terrible day in the parking garage; it was also a memento of her cowardice and failure.. Every time she saw it, she mentally apologized to her father. He'd taught her better than that and she'd ignored it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She spat.

"Rapists usually attack women who are weak, mentally and physically. You should have been one of the last on his list. I've never seen either of those traits in you." It was true. He didn't think she was either of those things. That was the reason he'd chosen her. He'd had the opportunity to obtain birds that were far more beautiful than Lisa with physical attributes much more to his liking but he'd never even considered bringing them here. To put it simply, he liked a challenge and that's exactly what Lisa presented. She was already taking longer to mold then any other bird he'd heard of and he was sure that he was probably better at it than any of his associates that had already tamed theirs.

Lisa stared at him in open mouthed wonder. Had Jackson Rippner just paid her a compliment? When she realized how she must have looked, she turned away again and said nothing in response to his puzzling comment.

"How long ago?" He asked, wanting to learn everything there was to know about her, especially fascinating bits like this.

She sighed. He already knew and she didn't want to fight him on this. He'd get it out of her somehow and just telling him would get it all over with that much faster. "Two years."

"Why didn't you go to the cops?" She looked at him puzzled so he clarified. "I know everything about you Leese. A rape charge filed by a Lisa Reisert would have popped up in my dossier on you."

She turned away from him again and returned her gaze to the outside world. "I didn't want to put up with the hassle of an investigation." If she'd been looking at him, she would have seen him smirk.

This was great information. It was best that he knew it now rather than later. Had he tried to proceed with getting her to do more interesting activities, he might have been met with unexpected and progressively disastrous results. It also got the wheels turning. Usually rape victims are more docile the first time as the situation they're in is just too unbelievable for them to handle but they become hardened to that stimuli quickly. Even if he tried to simply force her, he'd probably have to deal with a kicking and screaming bed partner for months, perhaps even years. He had no desire to deal with that debacle and besides, he wasn't into forcing himself physically on women. It wasn't arousing to do so. It wasn't from a sense of decency that this sensibility sprung from but rather a bit of laziness on his part. He wouldn't be able to focus on his own pleasure if he had to concentrate on keeping her restrained and bondage didn't do it for him either.

He was a creature that preferred mental control over people, not physical. There was nothing more appealing then getting someone to do something that they didn't want to by using words alone. He would get Lisa to choose to let him touch her. He wasn't sure yet how he was going to accomplish this feat and he was pretty certain she'd still be against the idea even if he did succeed in getting her to choose it, as it would undoubtedly be under some form of emotional duress. That didn't matter though. All that did was winning the little challenge he'd just set before himself.

Jackson pulled himself from the memory of that day as he knocked on her door. "Lisa, I've got something you need to know." There was no answer but he didn't expect one as he let himself in. Lisa was going to get her reprieve but it would be short lived.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – Plans

Jackson hopped off the smaller prop plane and headed directly for his connecting flight that would take him directly to San Antonio towards his employer's current base of operations. He never knew where he was headed when he received a call for an assignment and he wouldn't usually find out until he was in the air. His employers moved around a great deal and for various reasons. Sometimes they did it for convenience so that they could be close to the newest, highest priority job. Other times they just decided that for anonymity purposes they needed a change of location. He'd met about half of them personally and it was a testament to just how important he was to the organization. Pulling off the Keefe job was just another notch in his belt. It was the first high profile case he'd been given where he was given the priority role. He'd made the vital decisions, organized the manpower and given the final go ahead when the time came. He was also the one to deal with the highest variable mark that they had to rely on in many years. He pulled it off and today he was sure to meet a few more of his high level superiors.

You never knew what to expect from each one you met. Some behaved strictly professional, much like what you'd imagine what you'd come into contact with at any major corporation and then there were the odd ones. These individuals would never speak except about the missions. Their demeanors were far more stoic and cold then what Jackson had ever managed to achieve. Those in particular even made _him_ check his back while leaving the room. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, which refused to do anyway but it was due to the simple fact that nearly all of them had been more than just assassins, they had been killers.

The difference lay in the enjoyment level of the job. For Jackson, it was just that, a job. He performed it like any other person in their career. He did his research, thought of the best way to accomplish the goal and they carried it out. He excelled at it but he didn't experience any perverse pleasure at the end result; the actual taking of life. But there were those that got into this line of work because instead of being serial killers, which pays nothing, they thought they'd combine their love and fascination with macabre killing to their career. The great pay that went along with contract assassinations was simply a bonus.

Jackson made himself comfortable in the first class seat that would bring him to his employer's location within a couple hours. He pulled out his water bottle from his carry on bag as well as a small, black device that looked deceptively like a blackberry. He flipped open the cover, took a quick peak inside and then closed it again just as quickly while he leaned back and got ready to take a bit of a nap. Lisa was in her room and alive. It had better stay that way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lisa paced back and forth, occasionally stopping at the door and listening intently for any sign of life on the other side. She'd been doing just this for the last two hours and was actually beginning to believe that Rippner had indeed left her alone like he'd said. She stopped her incessant pacing turning to reexamine the room she'd become all too familiar with over the last month. Jackson had indeed left her alone and for up to five days. She hadn't felt this invigorated in God knows how long. She immediately decided that she needed to do something. Just sitting here, waiting for him to come home was simply unacceptable.

She walked to the window and again assessed the possibility of escaping that way. She noted that small scratches that she'd managed to put on the clear surface with her desk chair. She ran her fingers over the small imperfections she'd managed to cause and then looked around the room again. The chair was made of wood, she needed something more solid but there was nothing but wooden furniture in the bedroom so she headed to the bathroom.

As soon as she stepped in she headed immediately for the towel rack. There was a metal bar about three feet long and an inch thick. It took some effort, mainly a lot of kicking and pulling but Lisa finally managed to rip it from its place on the tiled bathroom wall. With a determination she hadn't felt in some time, she walked up to the window and cracked it against the surface.

"Shit!" She yelled as she dropped the now ringing piece of metal to the floor. The reverberation of the impact had stung her hands and she now stared crossly at the object of her hoped salvation. She needed a handle to absorb the impact because there was no way she was going to be able to break that damn window without it. She trotted over to her bed and pulled one of the pillow cases off of her bed. She then wrapped it around the base of the bar and started to pound away with much better results. Within a half an hour, the innermost layer of glass began to chip away and spider webs of broken but intact glass began to form. She was exhausted within an hour but it didn't stop her. It wasn't her muscles that would determine when she quit but the glass she was violently attacking.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jackson walked into a simple office of white walls and cheap, sparse furniture. It had surprised him the first time he'd met one of the higher ups. They didn't surround themselves in the wealth and luxury that they had accumulated; instead, they relied on quickly moving operations rather that leather chairs and mahogany desks. The desk he now approached had tan metal sides and a Formica top. It looked more like a room you might expect in a janitor's office then that in the operational area of the world's most effective supervisor of contract assassinations. There were no secretaries or office assistants, just four people. Two bosses and a bodyguard whom Jackson had no doubt could kill him in a dozen different ways before he could get anywhere near upper level management. The guard that had frisked him on the way inside was now standing directly behind him.

"Let's see the plan and then we'll discuss the allocation of recourses." Spoke the woman that was obviously in charge of the center. Jackson nodded his head, set his case on the surface of the cheap desk and pulled out the dozier of the proposed target as he got down to business. He'd met this supervisor before just a year ago and this was one of the disconcerting ones. She wore sunglasses the entire time and said nothing aside from discussing points and achieving clarification. By the end of the meeting, the boss laid some information down on an encrypted disk and handed it to Jackson. In it contained the account numbers that would provide him with the recourses needed to begin the operation as well as the phone numbers for a number of different professionals that the boss believed would be good for the job.

However, if Jackson had anyone specific in mind that he wanted to use, then he had the entire purview to do so. These were just the preliminaries for a job that would likely take place in three to four months but any decisions made now would be vital later on. The early portions of the process were often the most important and that was why it took solid thinkers and researchers like Jackson to pull them off. This was Jackson's seventh high profile case. It was a Russian diplomat that had been making trouble for the client the company had decided to take on. The only deadline was to have the job completed before the Russian elections took place in December. That gave Jackson plenty of time, far more than on the Keefe job.

He'd spend his time within the drab offices with some very high tech communication devices in order to gain the right people and the right equipment required to accomplish the mission. This operation had to be done quietly and the final product had to look natural. That meant medical experts would be preferred to give the old man a semblance of a heart attack. Though these jobs require less manpower, it was a far more difficult and tricky operation to finalize. Jackson knew just whom to call.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lisa closed her eyes and breathed in the warm ocean breeze. It had taken the entire day to break a hole in the glass that was big enough for her to fit her head through. Once she'd done that, she frowned seeing just how difficult it was going to be to get anywhere from the window. A hundred feed below, breakers crashed on jagged rocks and there was at least fifteen feet of flat, vertical surface on the outside of the house that she'd have to scale in order to get out. She quickly realized that her only hope would be to catch a small portion of the roof that stuck out about three feet over twenty feet vertically from her. She sighed and pulled her head back inside to glance around her room looking for anything that would help her overcome her latest obstacle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the end of the third day, Jackson already was satisfied by the people he'd gathered for the job. All were officially arranged with the initial payments received to assure their continued interest with the assignment. In all, he'd gathered seven people, a very small number for a case considered this important and with the size of payoff being offered. The boss was still wearing her sunglasses as she looked over the assembled operational information. She took notes on several portions before nodding.

"This is green." She said simply and then stood to leave. When she reached the door she turned to address Jackson a second time before leaving. "Pull this one off and you'll get your own team."

Jackson inclined his head in agreement and smiled but she'd turned, already leaving before seeing the gesture. Having his own team would be great. It meant less leg work but more responsibility and money. It's exactly what he'd been working toward for years now. If this went as he thought it would, that would mean he'd be in the running to become a boss within the decade.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!" Lisa yelled for probably the fiftieth time in the last day. Catching the roofing overhang that towered twenty feet above her and five feet to the left was proving to be nearly impossible. She'd redesigned her grapple system half a dozen times and had met with no success. She was so exhausted and discouraged. She only had a day left. She pulled herself out from the window and glanced at the room. It was a shambles. Her bed was torn apart to make way for the materials she'd hoped would get her out of the room but now it just looked like a torn disarray of fabric and dense foam. She'd taken apart part the refrigerator for other components she thought she'd be able to use and there was glass everywhere. Her entire plan had been to make it to some type of communication system to let someone know where she was and that she was indeed alive, after that, she had no idea since she didn't know what existed on the island past the three rooms she'd seen of the house. She'd been so hopeful in the beginning but as more and more time passed; she was discouraged by the fact that she hadn't even gotten out of the room, let alone to a phone. She started to feel trapped once more. The adrenaline of deciding to attempt escape had already left her after the first day. She turned back to the window, sighing in frustration but she didn't give up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jackson grabbed his bag from the small cargo hold on the bottom of the prop plane, waved to the pilot and headed to the jeep at the edge of the runway. He'd returned a day early, having done all he could do to get the mission started. He jumped in the jeep in a bit of a rush, curious to see what Lisa had been up to while he'd been away.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Caught

Jackson pulled up to the small compound that comprised his home having just checked the tracking devise making certain that Lisa was indeed still in her room and quite alive. This was shaping up to be a very good few days. He parked and made his way to the door but the moment he stepped inside, he knew something was amiss as he spied the tell tale flashing red light that told him there had been a breach somewhere in the house. He didn't need to check the panel that showed Lisa's window flashing. He knew what she had done and now he would have an interesting time dealing with it.

He quietly made his way inside, setting down his case and then made his way to her door. He pressed his ear against it and heard her exclaiming with the word 'shit' several times. He waited a moment longer and then quietly unlocked the door without giving his customary warning knock. His eyes widened slightly at the sight before him. The room was a disaster. There was crap everywhere but it was her that really made him open his eyes. She had herself connected to the bed by what looked like torn bed sheets tied together while she was perched precariously out the window. She was looking up while twirling what could only be perceived as a rather rudimentary but probably very serviceable grappling hook. It looked like it had been ingeniously constructed from various parts of the bathroom plumbing and different components of the refrigerator he'd provided her.

He walked as close to her as he dared without being seen by the very intently focused woman. When he was fairly close he decided to make his presence known.

"How's it coming?" He asked casually but he was not met with a similar casual response.

Lisa gave off a startled shriek and promptly lost her uncertain footing on the edge of the large bay window that she had all but removed. She fell. She didn't fall very far however as two things caught her. One was the makeshift lanyard she'd constructed around her waist and the other was the hand of the very man she'd been trying to escape.

Though his voice was strained with his physical effort, it continued to contain the same cool, collected tone. "Careful Leese, you could really hurt yourself."

"Rippner." She breathed out, still stunned at seeing him and to be now dangling from his grasp.

While still holding her with one hand and braced against the lower edge of the window frame, Rippner reached out with his free hand and grasped Lisa's second life line.

"How long did you think this would hold you?" He asked but wasn't surprised when he didn't receive an answer from the nearly frantic woman who was alternately looking at him and then at the jagged rocks far below.

"I don't think it would have lasted very long at all, with all the broken glass you left along the edge here." To demonstrate his point, he started to drag the fabric back and forth across the sharp edges and it was only a moment before it tore, the second life line now useless and Jackson was now the only thing between Lisa and death. She screamed again when she felt the tension leave the fabric.

"Do you want to die Leese?" Her eyes shot up to his. She was terrified and he could see it clearly but he was positive that it would be nothing compared to the fall if he let her go. "It would be very easy to let you go and not have to put up with this kind of shit every time I left." A small amount of menace had seeped into his voice. At that moment, he saw Lisa's eyes harden.

"Do it. I'm already dead, remember?"

Jackson laughed. "Only to the rest of the world Leese, not to me. Besides, if I let you go, I'm going to have to go after your dear old dad. Is that what you want?" He knew he had her the moment he saw her defiance melt before his eyes.

"No." He heard her whisper barely loud enough to be heard over the ocean below.

With that said and with her decision made, he hoisted her up with considerable effort on his part. Once she was inside, he didn't let go of her arm and immediately proceeded to pull her into the kitchen right behind him.

Lisa had no idea what he was doing as he continued to drag her with him until he stopped and opened one of the many cabinet drawers only to pull out a first aid kit. She still had no idea what he was doing until she saw the large gash in her hand that was still bleeding steadily.

"Don't move." He commanded as he finally let her go to stand next to him. He pulled out a small container that looked like a shaker for baby power and then proceeded to power her hand. She instinctively yelped in pain and pulled her hand back.

She was surprised at the quickness behind his move as he yanked her hand back and threw her a vicious look. "I said don't move. Do it again and you'll be sorry."

The bleeding stooped immediately and the burning started to abate until he then placed her injured hand over the sink and poured a generous amount of iodine over the wound. Now that hurt like hell but she didn't move or make a sound but bore it silently with her eyes squeezed shut.

Jackson let the disinfecting qualities of the liquid do its job before pouring cool water over the wound in order to get a better look at the damage she had done to herself.

"This is going to need stitches." He said matter of fact and he went to the refrigerator and pulled out a small vial of liquid.

By this point, Lisa had no idea what to think about everything that was going on. Just ten minutes ago, she had been desperately trying to escape only to meet with failure time and time again. Then suddenly, she'd fallen out of the window after Jackson purposely startled her. He'd then caught her only to rip apart the bed sheet that was holding her and then threatened to drop her. No sooner had that threat left his mouth when a second followed it and this time it was aimed at her father. Now, here he was, tending to her wound that she hadn't even realized she'd sustained like he was the family doctor but with terrible bedside manner. She watched as he filled a spare syringe with liquid and then stepped towards her, obviously intent on taking hold of her wrist yet again.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Don't you get just as tired of me repeating myself as I do? Now don't move or I'll break this off in your palm and stitch you up without the anesthetic."

"But why go to all this trouble. You could get other women here willingly. Why me?" Even as she asked this, she allowed him to take her hand, pinch some of the skin near the jagged wound and insert the needle. She hissed in slight pain but stayed obediently still.

"Really Leese, I don't know how many more times I can say this in any different terms without actually saying the exact same phrase." He set the syringe down after pulling it from her hand. He then swabbed the wound with rubbing alcohol and picked up the suture needle and a line of thread.

"I didn't want to kill you. You weren't the same lazy, terrified, easily controlled mark." He pierced her skin, uncaring that the anesthetic hadn't fully numbed her hand yet but he felt it was justified after the huge mess that she had made of her room. "You see, you really gave me a run for my money. You didn't give up where most would have. I've dealt with marks that were docile and very attractive but you have something else that interests me. It's what made you tear that room apart but it's also what's keeping you glued to your spot right now. But don't get me wrong, that little stunt of yours is more than just a little annoying." He continued to stitch her up with practiced ease. "You're actually lucky that I had a good couple of days or that might have actually pissed me off and I know that's exactly what you were trying to accomplish."

"I was trying to get away."

"No. You already knew you couldn't do that so the only other outcome of your little remodeling project would be to get me angry."

"But that's..."

"No Leese, that's exactly what you were doing but you failed again just like you have for a month now. If you want to know what will get me angry Leese," he stopped to look her in the eye before he started stitching again, "all you have to do is ask and I'll tell you exactly what buttons to push. A word of warning if you choose to ask, I won't guarantee my behavior if you do. I don't get angry often and for very, _very_ good reason." He finished suturing her palm and wrapped her hand in gauze. She said nothing. "Do you want to know Leese?" He looked directly at her now, daring her to say yes.

She looked away from the intensity of those frozen blue eyes. "No."

"Then stop asking in these silly little nonverbal ways or I swear I'll tell you." He secured it in place and took her arm again. She let him as he led her to a room she'd never seen. "This will be your room until I get the other one fixed. Enjoy it." He pushed her inside once he opened the door and then immediately closed it behind her.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - The Deal

Jackson peered at Lisa from over the neat stacks of papers that he was currently perusing at the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. She was sitting in one of the overstuffed, muted jungle print sofa chairs reading a history on the conquests and battles of Alexander the Great. Three weeks had passed since his return and it contained even fewer snafus than before. Either she was adjusting far better than he ever would have imagined or she was doing her best to play the part, trying to gain his trust prematurely. If this was the same Lisa he'd stolen from the plane and not some double he somehow picked up instead, then he guessed the latter was the far more logical explanation. He wondered exactly what that clever little mind was cooking up this time. He certainly hoped it was better than her last little escape attempt.

She looked comfortable with her legs pulled up under her, an accent pillow stuffed between her lap and her chest which she rested her book on and the cup of now cold tea sitting next to her. Even if she was planning something, he was sure it wouldn't be effective; the house was a time tested design and was one of only six styles available to members of the company prosperous and high enough up the ranks to deserve one. It had been his permanent residence for three years. He'd been one of the few field agents to get one as you usually had to attain the rank of manager before even getting a crack at one of them. The company had houses just like this, usually remote, all over the world. Some didn't like the fact that they tended to be built away from civilization with its constant comforts and entertainments but Jackson rather liked the solitude. He had always been a loner so the lifestyle suited him just fine.

To an outside observer, unaware of his profession, he might look like a new age businessmen that could accomplish ninety percent of his work without ever leaving the comfort of home. At least that's what it would look like if they didn't get a close up glimpse of the paperwork in front of him now. There were dossiers of thirteen possible job options, of which he was going to recommend seven of them. Three were hits related to drug cartels. Drug lords were always high payers but sometimes someone would off the client before the company was able to collect their fee. The three he'd chosen were czars of high power with more stable cartels at the moment. Four of the ones he was going to recommend against were smaller franchises that would probably be gone by the end of the week with the way they came and went. In fighting among these guys was constant and deadly but that's the price one paid when trying to get your foot in the door of the highly lucrative, highly volatile and highly illegal drug trade.

Two more in which he was prepared to recommend were run of the mill mafia hits, one for a Japanese outfit and the other for a Russian organization. They rarely did business like that in the states, the money was shit and the American mafia usually hired in house shooters to take care of their business. The Russians, on the other hand, were always hiring out. They didn't seem to like to shit where they ate by trying to keep themselves as removed from the actual hits and keeping their already dirty hands as clean as they could. That line of thinking made the company very happy and very rich. The final go ahead was a political assassination. Those were most often his favorite type. Usually the interested party didn't want it to look like an assassination. Hell, ten percent of the heart attacks and strokes among political figures both within established governments and outside of them were successful hits. Of those about twenty five percent of them were carried out by his company alone. They had the biggest share of that market with a hundred other conglomerate outfits like his taking up about another forty percent of the market with the rest carried out by one man shows.

That was one thing he never understood. Why would anyone want to do every aspect of the work themselves? So much of it was mundane and tedious that you never got the clean results the multi person operations did. _Oh well, to each his own._ He thought. He looked back up and caught Lisa checking on him. Her eyes had immediately fallen away and his earlier musing about what she could possibly be planning popped into his head. Hmmm.

The Russian diplomat job was going well, with most of the preliminary planning behind him. Now there was just a lot of waiting until the time for the job drew nearer, until then, he had time to have a little fun.

Lisa turned another page but was not another page smarter about Alexander. She hadn't actually been reading the book and even if she had been trying to, there was no way she would have been able to keep her focus. It seemed all she thought about was what to do next. What could she do to get more in his good graces? She'd been so careful about everything she said and did after the escape attempt. Little had come of it except that her new room had no window while Jackson fixed the other. She took deep calming breaths every morning before breakfast to help relax her because all she ever wanted to do was throw her food to the floor like she had that one night which now seemed so long ago. She did a good job of holding back her anger but sometimes it took everything she had to repress her first instincts.

In fact, the major revelation of her escape was that Jackson now allowed her outside her room far more often that just meals. She now spent most of the day in the living room. Reading books had immediately become both her cover for planning and her reason to not be engaged in conversation with the man she hated so thoroughly.

Jackson watched her openly now, having finished his work for the day and scooted back from the table with his hands now resting with his fingers interlaced behind his head. He could tell she was trying so hard to ignore him. He suddenly had a fabulous idea. If she was going to spend all of her time scheming then he would conduct a little operation of his own that should effectively break that constant concentration and planning. If she wasn't going to go along with the flow and act like a bird is supposed to, then he was no longer going to be content in letting her simply feel this false sense of security she obviously felt. He pulled himself out of his relaxed position and began collecting all of the files together into one pile, purposely leaving one open with a particular picture lying on top. With that accomplished, he stood up.

"Leese." He said to gain her attention. When she looked up at him, he kept talking. "Can I trust you to stay out of trouble if I leave you alone for a few minutes?" He saw her eyes narrow but she said nothing. "Fine then, back into your windowless little room."

"Wait." She spoke up a little too eagerly. She took a deep sigh. "I'll stay out of trouble." She mumbled.

He chuckled. "Good. Be back in a few."

Lisa pretended to go back to reading but silently cheered. This was going to at last be her chance to do some recon of the house without his knowing. The moment he exited through the door and it closed behind him, she was on her feet and headed for the kitchen. Immediately, she set to opening cabinet doors to get a rough inventory of their contents. Kitchens were chalk full of makeshift weapons and she needed to know where they were. Jackson always prepared the meal with her in her room. Apparently he didn't trust her that much yet.

The moment she got to the first cabinet drawer and pulled, she realized with absolute frustration that the cabinets were equipped with what had to be the same locking system as the doors around the house. To the unknowing person, it would appear that no door in the whole house had a lock but Lisa knew full well that they all had one and she had absolutely no idea how they worked. There was just a doorknob with nothing that indicated anything else but a simple door. It now seemed that the same mechanism applied to these. She tried them, twelve in all and every one was the same way, even the one she knew the first aid kit resided in. She wanted to scream out her frustration. The counter tops were barren of anything save a sponge on the sink and a roll of paper towels secured in a built in dispenser. The rest of the house she'd had access to was the same way. Pillows and seat cushions were the only small movable objects in the rooms and she just didn't have a plan laid out yet that involved pillows in any effective way.

Dejectedly, she made her way back to the chair she'd been sitting in before embarking on her doomed to fail mission. On the way back she passed the table again but though she'd ignored it on the first pass when her mind was intent on making inventory, this time she noticed the files he'd left out. The open file on top grabbed her attention because of the picture that rested on top. It was a photo of what looked like a family. It seemed to be a mother and father and five children that looked like they ranged in age from two to fifteen years old. By their dress and appearance they looked a bit European but she couldn't be sure. What caught her attention was not the family in the photo but the red makers that encircled every single person in the picture except the man. Offhandedly, she scooted to picture to the side and read the short bio beneath it.

Job: Multiple hits

Purpose: Client wants to make a point. Wipe the family, defile wife

but leave the mark unharmed. Long deaths a must with visual evidence provided to client. Video preferred.'

Payment...

There was more but Lisa didn't read any further. She had place both of her hands up to her mouth and couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her.

"See something that interests you Leese?" Jackson said only a few feet behind her.

Lisa was so startled by his sudden presence that she actually let off a clipped scream of shock. She then spun around so fast that she had to catch herself on the edge of the bar to keep from falling down. She gathered her wits about her. It seemed to get easier and easier as time passed. She shuddered at the thought of becoming comfortable in this place. She hardened her gaze, not caring that Jackson was only a few feet from her.

"You're going to kill that family?"

"No." She almost looked relieved for a moment. "It's my job to pick out the people that will though." Her incredulity returned immediately.

"You can't. They're only kids! And what's a 'long death', torture?" She almost admonished the killer standing in front of her.

"I most certainly can and most likely will." He said matter of fact.

"But they're only kids." She stared at him with a look of absolute horror.

"So you've already said. Now they always will be." He said with slight air of amusement.

"You bastard, you can't!" She was shaking but she hadn't moved.

"You're repeating yourself Leese and besides, there's no reason not to."

"Of course there is!"

"Really, like what?"

She stumbled briefly for words.

"Oh come on Leese, you're a smart girl. There's always a reason to not do something."

She looked at him strangely for a moment, wondering how he was suddenly arguing her point for her.

"Well, spit it out."

"I..." She started but her face became wracked with confusion. "What?"

"I just said that there's something that could keep me from ordering the go ahead on this job. Everyone has a price but the question is what do you think that price is for me?" She looked just as confused after he asked her so he decided to stop being quite so vague.

"What do you have that I want that could stop me?" Still the confusion reigned until suddenly a look of understanding dawned before it was quickly covered by terror. For the first time since bringing her here, he decided to act not just psychologically but physically. He pounced on her easily, something that wouldn't have been that simple during her initial stay here. Her false sense of security had slowly eroded her constant readiness to flee.

"Get away from me!" She half yelled, half hissed. He had her pinned against the bar as he grabbed a hold of her chin. The next words he spoke were delivered on a scant few inches from her face and Lisa could feel the hot breath of each one of his words.

"Come on Leese, is it really that big of a deal? I'm giving you the opportunity to save all their lives for what, a half hour of something so commonplace that probably a billion people are doing it right now?" He watched her reaction for a moment and then continued with his most violent psychological torture to date. "It's not like I want to do anything kinky Leese. Just you on your back, your legs spread nice and wide with me fucking into you until I'm done. And hell, it's been so long I doubt I'll even last all that long. Five minutes tops."

"Please stop." She was whispering now.

"Are you really that selfish? A few scant minutes isn't worth the lives of..." he picked up the photo, holding it up for her to see, "the lives of four, no five cute little kids and their almost assuredly devoted and caring mom?"

"Please." Tears were running down her face.

He decided to go for broke as he used the next weapon in the arsenal. "You wanted to know what 'long deaths' were Leese? Well let me enlighten you. Each kid will probably go through about an hour of knives, hammers and salt. The young ones usually bleed to death in cases like this so you don't actually have to off them using any traditional methods but the older ones can last a bit longer. The wife will take some more time but then again, it wasn't just torture for her was it." He looked down at the paper as if to confirm this. "Yup, 'defile before death'. A job like this would take about eight individuals to accomplish so that's eight fifteen minute turns each, so two hours. That's about three total hours of torture before she's forced to say goodbye to her husband. That's of course after she watched and most assuredly heard her kids scream as they were slowly being murdered"

"Please!"

"Do you want to know what this poor sap did to warrant this very _bad_ day?" He spoke like he had on the plane, in the bathroom. It was cold but earnest in its delivery and it terrified Lisa more than she though mere words could. "He stole from his employer, about a hundred American dollars so that he could feed his rather large family. Do you think he deserved that?"

"Please stop."

"No, I don't think you would Leese. No. Your ethical and moral principles are far too developed to think that way, isn't it? Do you think your conscience would approve if you let this family die all because you don't want me to touch you a little? So as I see it Lisa, it's all up to you; now isn't it? Do they live or do they die?" It was the first time he'd said her real name in all the time she'd been here but it didn't impress her in the least. She wasn't paying any attention to trivialities like that at the moment.

"But..."

"What Lisa?"

"But..."

"Spit it out already."

"BUT SOMEONE ELSE WILL TAKE THE JOB WON'T THEY?" She shouted out in frustration.

He accomplished his goal with the taunting. He needed her to feel any emotions right now except fear. He was pleased that, even in the state he'd thrown her into, she still had the presence of mind to think that deeply into it. "Actually..." he trailed off as he grabbed another file from the pile, "this is the same type of dossier as the one of the family. The interesting part of it is, that this is a hit file on the very man that is trying to hire us to kill the entire family." He let that soak in for a moment. "Seems like he's not very popular with his peers." He paused briefly again before changing his tone yet again to that of someone sympathetic to the whole situation. "Now here's the thing Lisa. Which one do I recommend for completion, the family or this guy, a Russian mob boss? The family job pays more but..." He let the sentence hang.

Lisa had never known such nerve-wracking conflict in her life. What should she do? Could she...to save them? "How do I know you're not lying?"

"You don't. It's the risk you take at trying to do the right thing. However, I will promise you that I'll force you to watch the evidence the client wants to see if you force me to make the decision on my own Lisa."

She broke down crying but he still didn't relent. He hadn't come this far to back down now. She was almost there. Stopping now would be disastrous and he didn't know what other methods he'd be able to employ if she refused. He could always rape her, the idea of committing the act didn't bother him in the least but he'd thrown given himself the challenge: get her to choose to give herself to him willingly. It didn't matter to him that the method of giving her that choice was a tad underhanded. He was confident that just a little more encouragement, a little more pressure and she'd give him exactly what he wanted. He pressed closer into her if it were possible, his body pressed against hers and his mouth by her ear. "Are you willing to make this tiny sacrifice to save them?" He whispered in a nearly seductive and entirely husky voice.

She didn't respond.

"I need to know now Lisa. I need to send them my recommendations. What am I going to tell them?"

She still didn't respond but her sobbing had died down to occasional tremors and a few sharp intakes of breath.

"Tell me now. Who dies: the kids or the Mafioso? Your choice Lisa."

A long moment of silence passed where the only audible noises in the room were Lisa's surprisingly quiet sounds of extreme duress. She didn't know what to do but in the end, she made her choice.

He felt her nod and mumble something unintelligible. "What was that Lisa?" He really hadn't heard her but he didn't need to. Her body language said it all. She was still shaking but she was slouching, her shoulders unable to bear the weight of her invisible but all too real burden any longer. This was it. He'd done it.

Jackson Rippner had finally broken Lisa Reisert.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - Aftermath

The water continued to cascade down over her. Her fingers had become wrinkled an hour ago but she still didn't move. She tried as hard as she could to concentrate on the rivulets of water as they continued to trace new and winding paths down the tile in front of her but there were some things you just can't shut off no matter how hard you try. There were images and memories that she just couldn't push out of her mind at the moment and recollections like the sounds he'd made. Why did he have to keep his mouth right next to her ear the whole time? She'd been forced to endure every shudder, heavy breath, every moan and every grunt.

She kept staring at the rivulets of water on the tiles even as tears trailed down her cheeks. Her breath was now coming out in clipped inhales and leaving in uneven exhalations.

She'd started to back out at the last minute but he'd reminded her of what was at stake.

"Do I need to let my employers know that I've rethought my position?" He'd asked as he'd stopped unbuttoning his shirt. He waited a moment and started to leave when she hadn't answered.

"Wait!" She'd nearly cried out. "Don't go." She knew she sounded pitiful but she just couldn't help it.

"Alright, then you know what you need to do."

He hadn't said another word the rest of the time. None of the expected taunts or insults came to pass but that didn't make it any better. He'd watched her undress in shaky, jerky movements while he removed his own clothes as though the situation were perfectly normal. It might have only lasted five minutes like he said it would but it may have lasted for over an hour for all she knew. She'd gotten on the bed and lay down with her eyes shut so tightly that it made her cheeks ache from the effort. She'd felt the bed dip. She felt him lay on his side next to her and she felt one of his hands trace a simple line with his fingertips from the mid of her thigh, up to her hip and onto the indentation of her waist. It hadn't stopped there but the fingertips became the whole of his hand as it smoothed up her arm, onto her shoulder and then rounding to come to rest on the flat of her chest just above her breasts.

It had lingered there, unmoving for what seemed like forever. She didn't dare open her eyes. She was terrified to see whatever expression he may have been wearing at that moment. She didn't want to see what could have been lust or worse, cold smugness. After his moment of just holding his hand to her chest, he'd shifted once again and the next thing she knew he was on top of her and spreading her tensed thighs with his own. He'd rested on his elbow with one of his hands entangled in her hair and the other resting down on her hip and then he…

She started to sob. She felt dizzy and sick. She couldn't force herself to stand anymore so she rested herself against the wall. Slowly and unconsciously she slid down the tile until she was then sitting in the still cascading water at the bottom of the tub. Great, wracking sobs were expelled from her chest as she covered her face with her hands. These weren't the first tears she'd shed. Even though she hadn't been aware of it, she'd cried the whole time. From the first time he touched her; to the moment he got off the bed and left her just lying there.

She didn't even know how long she remained motionless on the bed before dashing to the bathroom to wash away his touch. The worst part of it was feeling what he left behind drip down her thighs as she'd stumbled in. Now that she sat in the tub and her sobs slowly died down, she started to think which was something she hadn't been able to do since she agreed to his proposition. He hadn't used a condom. He hadn't pulled out and she wasn't on any kind of medication. What if...?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jackson stood leaning on the door frame of her washroom in which she remained unaware of his presence. He listened to every sound she made and could clearly make out her form through the translucent shower door. He'd watched with uncaring eyes as she slumped down and sobbed away her hurt and hopelessness. He couldn't help but wonder what it felt like. He wondered if it were truly as devastating as she was making it sound. Quietly, but not caring if he was discovered, he walked over and sat on the closed toilet seat and continued to observe his little bird.

He'd thoroughly enjoyed himself. She was warm and despite her thin, delicate build, quite soft. Her skin was smooth and fair. Her muscles would twitch and jerk every time he touched her and he even kept that to a minimum for a couple of reasons. The biggest being that he was very eager and the next that he'd planned it to be a minimalist affair to begin with. He could take his time later when she became more accustomed to the practice but for the moment, he was just getting her prepped for things to come. She'd been dry as a bone, just as he'd suspected she would be. This was the real world after all and women didn't just cream up because a guy with a hard-on was in the same room. As nice as it might have been to have her react that way, she didn't but he was prepared for such a non-reaction. Artificial lubricants were almost as good as the real thing anyway and had the added bonus of being readily available at a moments notice like today. Just smear a little here and a little there and voilá, instantly ready woman!

He wanted to chuckle at that thought but held back. For the moment, her state of unawareness was fun in and of itself. She was going to freak out when she realized he was there and he looked forward to the display.

Her sobs died down until he could no longer hear them above the quiet din of the running shower. He could just barely make out through the glass when her hands dropped from covering her face.

"Oh god." He heard her whine beneath the water. He wondered exactly what thought had prompted that reaction but when he saw the blurry silhouette of her hands fall to her stomach, he got a fairly good idea of what she must be thinking. Perhaps now would be a good time to make his presence known.

"You're not pregnant." He said a little louder than his normal tone in order to make sure she heard him clearly over the sounds of the water. Her reaction was immediate, as though the tub bottom had suddenly become red hot. She'd started to shoot to her feet only to slip on the wet surface and fall back down to the bottom with an undignified thump and splash.

"GET OUT!" She screamed.

"I don't think so." He'd continued in the same tone. He could see that she was breathing heavily.

"God, please get out!" She pleaded but her change in tactic had no effect on the monster that sat outside what should have been a sanctuary. Instead he just sat there.

"No. Now get a hold of yourself, it's not like you to be so pathetic." He heard her breathing stop the moment he said it before it began again in a much more controlled and what he was sure was an anger driven state of mind.

It was a long time before anything else was said before she finally broke the silence by finally speaking while she turned off the water. "What do you want?" Came her infuriated voice from behind the rippled glass.

"Me? Nothing at the moment, I'm feeling particularly satisfied at the present time. I was just alleviating any fears you might have been having." He said smugly and normally as the water was now silent. A few moments of silence passed and Jackson noticed that Lisa wasn't moving a muscle. He stood, pulled a towel off of a shelf as Lisa was not allowed towel racks at the moment and walked over to the shower door. The moment he started to slide it open Lisa jumped to her feet and her hand shot to the inner handle to prevent him from succeeding in his goal.

He laughed once. "Really Lisa, why all the pretense now. I said I didn't want anything more and now that we've fucked do you really need to continue to preserve that silly modesty of yours. I'm flattered but it's not necessary."

Lisa didn't move or say a word.

"I'm stronger Leese so this will just be an exercise in futility if you make me force my way in there."

Still nothing.

"Move. Your. Hand." His voice was so low and cold that it sent shivers down her spine.

"You're not going to do anything?"

"It wouldn't matter if I was going to or not. Why do you constantly ask me to make promises Leese that you're already sure yourself I'm either going to refuse or break? Now quit wasting my time and yours by letting me open the door before I run out of patience. Besides, it's your fault for taking such a ridiculously long shower that ran into the normal dinner time."

She didn't want to fight right now because she was too exhausted. Reluctantly Lisa moved her hand.

Jackson let a long moment pass before he slid open the door. He smirked at the way she tried to conceal her nudity from him but passed the towel to her all the same.

"Now really, was all the drama necessary?" He asked as she quickly wrapped herself in the white terrycloth. "Get dressed and hurry because the food will get cold." With that said, he turned and walked out of the little bathroom. She just stood there simply wanting to cry again the moment he was out of the room. She just couldn't wrap her mind around him, his actions and his motives. She didn't know how to fight it. She didn't know how to stop it and she was starting to feel lost in the web he'd built around her.

She was terrified to do anything except exactly what she knew he wanted her to. Right now, after everything that had happened, she just felt lost and she had no idea how to find herself again.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 – Potatoes

"Not hungry?" Jackson asked as he eyed Lisa just sitting there, staring at her meal.

She ignored his question but didn't remain silent; "How could you possibly know?"

He finished chewing before he spoke up again, "How would I know what?" He had a pretty good idea of what she was asking but he also had the desire to have a conversation that lasted more than just a brief moment.

She took a deep breath and hissed a sound of disdain before she uttered her next words to him. She emphasized each syllable carefully as though she were speaking to an incompetent. Jackson was not impressed by it. "How would you know that I couldn't be pregnant?"

"Ah." He ignored the way she asked it for the moment. "Because of this." He said in an almost jovial manner as he reached across the bar, picked up her fork and jabbed it into a piece of potato from her plate.

She finally looked up at him with anger and confusion plastered on her face. She didn't feel like being toyed with at the moment and it had taken everything she had just to ask that one simple question. "Potatoes?" was her bitter response.

"No, not the potatoes, silly, or any other kind of food but it's a matter of what I put in them. Basically, so to speak, you've been on the pill from the moment you got here." He watched the anger boil up behind her eyes as she tried to find the words.

"You..." she looked away, "you had it all planned from the beginning?"

"Well, it was always a distinct possibility with you being female and all. Besides, if I'd just wanted someone for good conversation, I would have picked a guy." He was delighted to see her anger increase as she stood up from the table.

"I'm not eating anymore of it." She whispered out as she backed away, her attention still on the food.

He stood with her. He hadn't seen her this agitated since he first brought her to his home. He knew forcing her into bed would cause a set back or two but it was necessary and most definitely worth it. He already had a plan for making it a permanent part of her routine but that was going to take some time, like everything else he wanted to accomplish with her. Unfortunately, he only had a certain amount of time before outside parties would take an interest in her progress and viability.

"I'm flattered Leese. I had no idea you wanted to start a family."

"Screw you!" She shouted, still backing away from the table.

"You really shouldn't insinuate things you don't mean Leese or I might start to think that you're inviting it." He said with a condescending grin

She'd had enough, so she turned and bolted for her room.

"Not yet love. You haven't even touched your food yet." He took off after her but she had the added advantage of both being closer and of throwing an accent chair into his path that he almost tripped over. "Don't do this Leese. You were doing so well." He suddenly sounded stern.

She didn't respond to his taunt as she dashed through the door and slammed it behind her. She knew she didn't have anywhere to run and that running into her room really hadn't accomplished anything but she needed to be away from him. Even if that 'away' was only a matter of inches of solid door that separated them. She flung her back against it and braced herself for the blow she knew was to follow. She didn't have to wait very long as the door suddenly burst open with the weight of Jackson's impact against it.

She never had figured out how to close the doors, let alone lock them. She fell to the floor and started to scramble for the bathroom, her next best bet for temporary freedom but her pursuer had other plans. He too had fallen after barging in but was up quickly enough to grab an ankle and pull her smaller form towards his.

She kicked out as wildly as she could with her still free but bare foot and finally managed to land a blow to his jaw. It resounded with a definite thud and she was able to wrench her other limb away from his grasp. The blow was only enough force behind it to stun him however and it was only a moment before he regained his hold. This time he didn't hold back and savagely yanked her body towards his. It only took him a moment to overpower the frantic woman who was now beneath him with her two wrists pinned under his hands and his prone form half covering hers.

"Stop it!" He yelled. It was the first time he raised his voice to her since bringing her here but the pain in his jaw and her constantly struggling beneath him had caused him to lose his normally maintained calm. He secured both her wrists in one of his hands and grasped the hair at the top of her head. He pulled back with a jerk to completely gain her attention and stun her body into stillness. "Stop this. What do you think this is going to get you? You don't have anywhere to run and there's no one that can help you. So why do you have to be this goddamned stubborn?"

"Me stubborn? I'm the one who's a prisoner here and you have the audacity to call me stubborn!" She tried to pull her head out of his grasp but failed. She felt her head none too gently cracked against the thin carpet of the spare room.

"I can call you stubborn because you fucking are." His voice had somewhat regained its forced calm and his face hovered a mere inch from her face. "You have no idea what you're risking by keeping this shit up." He watched her eyes that bore into his.

"Then explain it to me. How am I supposed to know anything if you don't tell me everything except bullshit about birds? All I know is what you tell me. You tell me that I'm dead and you show me pictures of my own funeral. You tell me you're going to kill an entire family and show me their picture. You tell me you won't kill them if I...I let you..."

"God, enough." He rolled his eyes. "I am so sick and tired of your constant little internal struggle with all this as though you are some poor persecuted saint. If you don't start coming around, this is all going to be one big failed experiment."

"Is that what I am? Some sick experiment." She spat out incredulously.

"OH MY GOD! Get over yourself." He wanted to laugh but held himself back. "You need to come to a realization and quickly at that. I only have so long to demonstrate that you'll acclimate to this, if not..." He was cut off mid sentence.

"What! You'll kill me. I'm getting tired of that one Jack!"

"It won't be me darling, only if I want to and at the moment, I'm enjoying you too much alive but you're not giving yourself any options here."

"I'd rather be dead!" She was still shouting.

"I'm more than aware of that and hell, I actually respect it to a point but it's not just you, now is it? You know damn well what else is at stake."

That took some of the wind out of her sails. She did know.

"But..."

"There are no buts Leese. You're forcing your future on yourself and I'm trying as hard as I can to get you used to all of this but until an outside party is convinced, your stay on this earth along with those you care about is only tentative at best and wholly out of my hands."

"I…" But she just stopped and her body relaxed.

Jackson sighed when he felt the fight leave her and pushed himself off of her. He stood as she backed herself up against a wall and just sat there staring into empty space. He turned to look at the living room and its upturned chair.

"Everyone said you'd be a bad choice, that you wouldn't work out and I'd just wind wasting a lot of time and money. In all honesty Leese, I don't want to kill you." He turned to look at her when he heard her laugh. She had one hand to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose and occasionally giving off a sardonic laugh.

"You find that funny?" He asked.

"Yeah…yeah I really do." But she'd stopped laughing.

"What part?"

She glanced at him briefly before standing herself. "The part about how you can actually sound concerned when saying the crap that you just said me."

"Ah." He looked up at the ceiling and cocked his head to the side but he didn't say whether he agreed with her or not. Instead he walked to the door and stopped. "Well then, shall we?" He asked, motioning back out toward the kitchen.

He watched as she shook her head as though she was going to refuse but then she began walking in his direction. When she passed him she whispered quietly.

"I hate you."

He smiled after she passed by him. "Oh, I know you do."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - Folders

"Please turn it off." Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she watched the gruesome scene unfurl on the screen in front of her. Even when she closed her eyes, she could still hear the screams of the man being tortured.

This was the result of her defiance.

Two weeks ago Lisa woke up to find two red folders sitting on her nightstand with a note attached. She could read the yellow post it when she sat up without even reaching for the folders. It said, 'Time to make another choice.' It took her several long minutes before she gathered the courage to reach out and grab the files that were left for her. It only took her a moment to glance though their contents. With a frustrated sigh, she threw them on the ground, scattering the photos, papers, and notes before she took her speedy shower for the morning. She stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed, to find Jackson diligently returning all his data to its proper folder. He was kneeling on one knee but straightened his posture when she returned. He placed a hand on his other leg and hoisted himself to a standing position. He spoke as he placed the now tidied folders onto the bed.

"I'm not sure how to interpret your answer so I'm just going to have to ask you straight out. Which one do I recommend?" He leaned against the bed but did not sit on it as he crossed his arms across his chest and cocked his head to the side.

"I'm not doing this again." She said defiantly. "I shouldn't have done it the first time."

Jackson smiled but didn't seem happy. "Oh really? Did you even read through them before making such a mess?"

"I don't care what they say, I'm not doing it. Tell your people whatever you like because I'm never going give you the twisted excuse to let you touch me again." Lisa was unnerved by the smile that never left his face and his eyes seemed colder, if that were even possible.

Jackson unfolded his arms and clasped his hands together. "Ok, so the brother it is." He pushed himself back to a fully standing position and gathered the folders off the bed. "Breakfast is ready."

Confused by his apparent non reaction, she'd tentatively followed him out of the room and into the kitchen. He gave her no reaction. He didn't yell. He didn't even tell her she was acting foolishly by refusing to make the decision he wanted her to. They just ate breakfast like they always did with the only oddity being that she ate off a china plate for the first time, with a metal fork, no knife.

XXXXXXXXX

"Please turn it off."

"Why Leese, you're the one that made the decision to watch it?" He watched her passively but clapped his hands together suddenly, half to startle the woman whose eyes were shut tightly and half to signify that this little torture for her had ended. "Oh, no need to. It ended all on its own. You're lucky it wasn't billed as 'long torture' eh?" He flipped off the TV and it disappeared back into the wall behind the seascape painting as it had been before. That was only the second time he'd ever used it. The first time had been to see if it worked. He wasn't one to watch television or movies for that matter.

He turned his attention away from the receding television set and back to the tear stained face of his little bird. He hadn't expected her to refuse quite so adamantly and even though the client had not requested this type of visual confirmation of the job being completed, he found that this would serve as a more powerful reminder of just what her lack of decision had caused.

"I get cases like this one all of the time. In fact, it's so common that innocents are brought into this _dark_ world of ours just to punish people that were foolish enough to get into it willingly on their own accord." He walked over to Lisa who was seated in the very chair she'd used as an attempted escape tactic not too long ago. He'd been forced to tie her to it when it became very clear early into the showing that she wasn't going to sit there willingly and watch it. He knelt down in front of her and placed the remote in her lap.

"That guy didn't have to be tortured and die. A very nasty sort of villain could have taken his place at your say so but no... You had to be _stubborn_ yet again and look at the repercussions of your actions."

"That was not my fault." She spat out, opening her eyes for the first time in fifteen minutes.

"You can look at it any way you like but the facts are clear. One word from you and that poor sap would be at home right now watching football with his ten year old son instead of laying in some train yard all hacked to bits." He reached up and wiped away some of her more recent tears from one of her cheeks. "They're definitely going to have to use dental records to identify what's left of him."

She said nothing in response so he stood up and walked behind the chair. Using fingernail clippers he snipped off the flexi cuffs that he'd used to restrain her. The moment her hands were free she pulled them in front of her and rubbed at the abused flesh. She'd only had her hands in front of her for a few seconds before two red folders were deposited in her lap.

"Like I said Leese, I get these kinds of cases all of the time." He walked over and sat in the overstuffed chair off to her left. "Will you be making a decision this time or should we plan for another family movie night. If you let me know now, I'll be sure to get some popcorn for the next feature." He watched her face twist into a mask of agony with the situation he'd just placed before her. "Just look at them, take your time of course, and tell me know your decision."

With that said he stood up and returned to his stack of paperwork. As he worked, he kept a close eye on her reactions to his none too subtle demands. She sat motionless for the longest time until finally she moved to open one folder and then the next, examining the contents of each before closing them again. Then she just sat stoically once more. An hour passed before she actually stood up. She walked over to him at his seat at the bar and, without looking at him, placed the folders in front of him on top of his stack of work. Then she left without so much as a single word. He watched as she quietly walked out of the living room and into her own.

Jackson glanced down at the folders and saw one photo had not been placed back into its original spot. A short squat man, smoking a cigar at a cafe looked up at him. Jackson smiled and stood. He replaced the photo to where it belonged; temporary put his work on hold and headed off in the direction Lisa had gone only moments before. He already had the top button of his shirt undone by the time he reached her door.


	15. Chapter 15

AN: Wow, what can I say but sorry for the _extremely_ long wait. Sometimes real life interrupts my fantasy life. I'll try to start updating regularly again but please bear with me. I will stress that even though it may seem like I'm not going to finish at times, I always will. If a story never gets finished then it's a pretty sure bet that I'm dead or in a coma. Since I don't plan on letting either of those happen, it will eventually come to an end. Thanks to everyone who's stayed with this and I hope you enjoy this long overdue installment.

Chapter 15 – Aftermath

Jackson sat at the bar with his paperwork glancing at the door of Lisa's current room and smiled. It had been a very pleasurable experience but unfortunately it lacked perfection. He'd disregarded Lisa's coping mechanism by allowing her to keep her eyes closed through the duration of their fornication experience for a second time in a row. The first occasion had been acceptable, even expected. But by her continuously engaging in this habit, it simply wasn't appropriate or wise. Since he was well aware that she had no desire to share his bed, keeping her eyes closed time after time could actually cause further problems. It was all a matter of psychology. If he allowed her to continue to close him out, eventually her mind would be able to shut out the traumatic experience entirely. That was not what he wanted. He needed her to come to accept her situation, not withdraw from it. She could develop a slue of annoying and difficult to reverse psychoses and in the end; it would be to Lisa as though he weren't even fucking her at all.

Regardless of being aware of all these facts, he'd given in to her not too subtle request to keep her eyes closed. He placed the blame mostly on his need to get right down to the pleasurable business of the moment and only partly on her quiet plea. He needed to get his hormones under control. _I'm not some teenager for God's sake_. There were far more important issues he needed his focus on besides his own lusts. He just found his lurid desires incredibly powerful every time he succeeded in bargaining his way between her thighs.

"Look at me." He commanded. He'd already spent and inordinate amount of time, a very arousing time, orally between her legs. This was a necessary step, committing such acts to her body in order to get her used to the moment. Eventually it might have the desired effect of actually causing her pleasure and eliciting her arousal in return. At the moment it was only an exercise in repetitious acclimation but seemingly one in futility in the short run. It hardly mattered that it did nothing for her sexually but surprisingly it left him very eager to continue. For some reason, he'd always been a big fan of eating a woman out. Though he always found the presence of that particular proclivity of his odd, he had never been able to logically justify it. He was a selfish creature by nature so why he would thoroughly enjoy cunniligus, an act solely meant for another's pleasure, was a mystery to even him.

She'd kept her eyes closed and remained silent. "Open your eyes." He'd said with a bit more authority and force as he'd settled between her tense but spread legs. This time she responded.

"Please don't make me. Not after what you already showed me." She'd pleaded, tears leaking from her tightly closed eyelids.

He'd stilled his forward progress for a moment, considering her request. Upon retrospect, he should not have acceded to her appeal. He allowed her to win. Without any further comment, shrugging mentally, he'd pressed himself into her, relying on his own saliva as the day's lubricant of choice. He'd lasted a great deal longer this time, much to his own delight. After the euphoria of his release left him, he'd realized his mistake and had then taken steps that he hoped would somewhat rectify it.

He'd slipped of the bed, making no move to conceal his nudity and pulled at her wrist. It was amusing. He'd just had his hands all over her body in the most intimate of ways but it was this simple and non sexual contact that made her jump.

"Come on." She'd opened her puffy eyelids furrowing her brow. He answered her silent question. "Let's get you cleaned up." That was when she'd put up resistance. Again, he was struck by the irony of her reaction to the two situations; the one that had just ended moments ago in the bed and the one that was just beginning. "You just let me fuck you but it's _now_ that you decide to be difficult. Quit being ridiculous."

Apparently, the idea struck her as odd as well because for a moment she ceased her little battle with him. When they were about halfway to the bathroom, she uncharacteristically spoke up.

"Why do you have to do this?" She asked plaintively.

Jackson just rolled his eyes. How many God damned times was he going to have to explain all of this to her? He was beginning to suspect that maybe his little Lisa was not quite as intelligent as he'd originally conceived. Maybe all those antics on the plane had been an amazing set of flukes. In a move she hadn't been expecting, he'd suddenly jerked her from her position behind him directly into the wall next to the bathroom door. Without a word, he'd pressed his nude frame against hers kissing her hard. She didn't even react at first; stunned by the sudden seemingly impulsive movement. Jackson rarely acted impulsively, if ever.

Before she'd had a chance to fight back, Jackson deepened the kiss. His hand left her wrist and joined its partner to tangle in her auburn hair. The moment she overcame her shock and began to resist, he released her mouth but didn't release her body from the wall.

"This is why." He'd said in a tone that implied he shouldn't have to explain any further. Rolling his eyes for the second time in the past few minutes seeing the same confused expression on her face, he asked "Jesus Leese, what to I have to do to get this through that unbelievably thick skull of yours? Write a 'Why I Do What I Do' book for dummies?"

The look of understanding he was hoping for did not cross her face.

"Fine. Let's try this again, shall we?" He didn't move from where he held her against the wall and she didn't struggle as she was too focused on what he was about to tell her to take notice of her compromising position. "I'm doing all of this for you." He noted her incredulous look. "Come on Leese, not in that sappy sort of way. Look, I want you and the only way I could have you was by bringing you here. Any other option would have just ended in your untimely death. Now I know that you would definitely prefer that option but you are just too wrapped up in the present and can't see what the future could hold for you."

She still looked confused but still remained motionless.

"Alright, how about we take another approach to your question. You hate me right?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer it. Humor me."

"I hate you more than anything in this world."

"Okay. Nothing too surprising there. Now you've hated me for quite some time now, probably starting on the plane right?" She nodded absently.

"Excellent. Now here's my point so listen up and don't get too upset when it finally sinks in. Do you think that even for a split second that on the first day I brought you here, I would have had any chance what so ever to have held you against this wall, with both of us completely naked, without any form of threat, verbal or otherwise, without you struggling in the least?" He watched her intently and knowledge started to dim across her face. She was starting to get it.

"It's not like you ever consciously thought you'd allow me to do this. Hell, in the beginning, I couldn't look in your direction without your flinching but now..." He leaned in and kissed her neck. Though she tensed, she still proved his point superbly. "Now I have no doubts that my revealing all this to you will halt any of the forward progress I've made so far but in the end, it won't matter. Eventually, I'll get exactly what I want because I'm the one holding all of the cards and I know exactly how to play them."

He moved to kiss the other side of her neck but this time she had the where with all to begin to resist. He ended her new rebellion quickly, the way one ends the bad behavior of a wayward pup. He didn't smack her on the nose but he jarred her against the wall to still any movement she intended to make.

"You're the one that asked for this little explanation so why don't you just let me finish?" He smirked when she didn't move and reached up to wipe away the first tear to trickle from her eyes.

"While I applaud you're stubbornness in the matter, it will get you nowhere. I'm not saying that I'm smarter than you or that you're weak for having let me get you this far without your being conscious of it but rather, I'm just saying that this form of adaptation would inevitably happen to anyone. Some just succumb to it a bit more easily than others."

He stopped for a moment to let that sink in. "Now I'm going to get a little technical here so stop me at any point if I lose you. It's a survival mechanism that every animal on the planet possesses. Without it, the species wouldn't stay alive and that includes, you guessed it, humanity as well. You'll allow yourself to fall into these patterns that you have because they don't cause you further pain. They don't threaten your survival or more to the point of you, I don't threaten your life when you follow them. You can try to get out of it by choosing suicide, but after this initial trauma ends, that option will begin to sound less and less attractive. Besides, I took that choice away from you right off the bat with my little promise about your Dad, didn't I?

Lisa closed her eyes. She'd heard enough of his insipid psychology lesson for the moment. She couldn't stand to listen to anymore and she desperately needed to believe that every last word of it was complete and utter bullshit. She hated the way he made the most ridiculous idea sound plausible not wanting to believe that she'd eventually stop fighting all together. She couldn't believe it but when he pointed out her lack of struggle at the moment, she just didn't know what to do. The more he made her think about it, the worse it seemed to get. She still couldn't work up the energy to fight him and what made it worse was that she felt unable to try. She just wanted him to leave her alone though she knew that would never happen. Finally, she found some small will to fight back.

From her position against the wall, she pushed against him but he held fast not letting her budge. _At least he shut up._ She couldn't listen to anymore of it. After a moment, she gave up and they just stood there. She had her eyes cast to the floor while he continued to study her face carefully. Minutes passed and neither one of them moved. Every moment made her more uncomfortable, if that was even possible. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She met his gaze and the moment she did, he released her, stepping away.

"Shall we?" He asked, completely nonchalant as he motioned to the bathroom door. Lisa closed her eyes briefly and took a steadying breath feeling cold and utterly foolish when she walked into the bathroom with him right behind her.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 –

In five weeks he managed to come up with seven sets of folders for her review. Actually, it would have been four weeks since he had left on business for six days about two weeks prior. Lisa sighed as she glanced at the eighth such set on the end table as she sat up and pushed the covers back. Slipping out of her new bed and into her slippers, she noticed the sun was starting to slip above the horizon as evidenced by the golden glow seeping through her new window. Glimpsing at the damn folders out of the corner of her eye, she made her way into the bathroom to complete her morning routine.

She hated those files and what they represented. She used to like the color red but now it did nothing but remind her of the sick game he'd set up. She was tired of it, hating to see the faces of the strangers his company was intent on killing. She was weary of making these decisions. Most of all, she was just plain tired. Turning on the shower she left it to heat up while she brushed her teeth.

After her shower, she came out of the bathroom fully dressed in a simply button down white top and a long gray colored skirt. Again she looked at the despicable red folders. Making her bed and finishing the glass of water that she'd taken with her last night; she walked over to only item in the room that hadn't been replaced.

The overstuffed sofa chair sat right in front of the window that had once been her greatest hope for escape. Needless to say, the last time Jackson was gone, she didn't make a similar attempt. Sitting down, she picked up the book that she'd left splayed open on the arm of the chair and began reading. She actually read the books he gave her these days, some of which weren't all that bad. They were all non fiction books that covered a wide variety of topics and he would make it a point to occasionally ask her about one such subject or another.

She'd made the mistake of making a random comment, meant to be a snide remark about him posing as a pseudo intellectual who kept a library of books around just to make himself feel smarter than he actually was. It had backfired miserably.

"What book are you reading now?" He'd asked after her little quip with a mild tone of annoyance. Lisa stumbled for a moment, not having expected to elicit much of a reaction from him. He often ignored her comments that were meant to offend him.

"Uh," She looked at the cover, "It's called 'The Clash of Civilizations'."

"Oh, I kept that one? That had to be one of the worst theories on the current geo political climate I've read to date. If the author had ever been to a portion of the countries he wrote about for any amount of time, he never would have drawn the conclusions that he did."

Lisa just narrowed her eyes in frustration at the smug expression that spread across his face. "In fact, look at page 59 and then read 229. You'll see that he's not consistent and doesn't even agree with his own theories. Either that or he simply forgot what bullshit he wrote earlier."

Lisa had refused to look up the pages he referred her to. Not right then at least. Instead she waited until that night when she was alone and sure enough, there was the glaring contradiction he mentioned previously. She really didn't think it was possible she could hate the murdering rapist anymore than she already did but he always managed to find new ways to shock her into intensifying her already present loathing.

Lisa flipped through the photograph section in her new book on Florida's archeology until her hair was dry. Setting the book down, she glanced at the folders resignedly once again on her way to the bathroom in order to put her hair up. She knew Jackson liked it when she wore it down so in order to rebel against him, she never did. After cleaning up the bathroom, she knew she couldn't keep procrastinating so she finally went to the table and just stared at the folders with a furrowed brow. Several times she started to reach for them but froze midway. _Or maybe I'm just giving up_. Either way, she couldn't stand to look at their contents.

She heard his voice from the other room. "It's ready."

Lisa sighed and reached once again for the folders. If she didn't leave now, Jackson would just come and retrieve her regardless. She picked them up and as she tried to force herself to start flipping through them she ceased the effort. Enough was enough. With heavy steps, a throat that burned with self loathing and suppressed tears that she barely managed to hold back, she tucked the folders under her arm and walked out of her room through the unlocked door.

Jackson didn't look directly at her when she left her room, but smiled to himself when he caught the flash of red she was carrying in his peripheral vision. "So, who's the lucky guy today?" She didn't say a word in response but that wasn't unusual when it came to taunting her on this subject. He dished out the morning's meal as easily as he had the jibe as she made her way over. When he actually looked at her directly, he immediately noticed a difference in her countenance. She looked more upset than usual. He wondered what exactly had brought it on.

"No more." She spat out as she unceremoniously dropped the folders next to his plate of food.

He looked at her curiously. "What exactly does that mean?" He observed her guardedly, narrowing his eyes. "You've decided you prefer movie nights to sleepovers?"

"I'm done looking at this crap." She stated but with less vehemence than her last statement.

"Okay." Jackson covered his disappointment well. He disliked the backward step they'd just taken. He'd have to figure out the reason for the sudden changed of direction. Lately, she didn't cry when he took her. He really thought he was getting her trained to the routine but apparently he'd made a miscalculation somewhere. "Movie night it is."

"No." Her eyes were downcast but solidly fixed on the folders she'd just discarded on the bar.

He laughed humorlessly. "Really? Well that's not the way it works Leese." His tone was mocking, "You see if you don't a decision, I do and my choices are going to almost always result in snuff films created just for you."

"No." She said again. He was about to enlighten her some more on the course she chose but she cut him off, a single tear running down her cheek. She really hated losing the battle by allowing him to see her tears. It made her feel even more pathetic. "Make the decision you know _I _would have made."

It actually took a second for Jackson to catch up with her line of thought but when he did, the realization was plastered all over his face. Even his posture changed when he had the sudden epiphany.

"Come here." He said his voice full of aggravating mirth once again. Lisa cringed.

"Why?"

"I need to make sure of something because you know what this implies, right?" Even though he couldn't see her hands, he could tell that they'd just rolled up into tight little fists by the way her muscles contracted throughout her upper arms.

"Of course I do." She hissed. "You don't have to test my honesty. I'll do it." Jackson just smiled.

"Oh Lisa, it's not your truthfulness I'm questioning. I believe you mean it. It's the strength of your resolve that I'm worried about. Now come here." Jackson watched as Lisa just seemed to shrink a couple of inches before she let out a half sigh, half moan. She finally made her move to join him on his side of the bar. Once there, Jackson took hold of her wrist and pulled her gently into him. "Look at me." It was another command that took all of her strength to obey. Once her defeated eyes met his smug ones, he issued his worse command yet.

"Kiss me."

Lisa let out a small moan of disgust and looked away from him, unable to hold the gaze. Her eyes didn't stray far though as his other hand pulled her chin back. "I didn't tell you to look away from me Lisa, I told you to kiss me. If you can't do it then we'll just have to continue with the file routine."

Her eyes sparkled with tears and she took another deep breath before giving into his request. With him observing her, she rocked up on her toes and quickly kissed his lips, immediately trying to pull way. He held her near him, ending her retreat.

"It's a start." He said in a heavier voice before he crushed his lips against hers. He spun her around so that her body was now between his and the counter top. He deepened the kiss for a moment but then pulled away to kiss and lightly bite at her neck. She made little sounds of protest but didn't attempt to get away or struggle against him. His hands traveled quickly down her body only to easily hoist her into sitting a position on the bar.

Lisa was crying. He was right. All along, he was right. In the end, he would win and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. She was just so tired of trying to fight it and in a perverse way; it felt good to have simply given up. In a manner of speaking, it was a release. "What about breakfast?" She asked, hoping to distract him but finding it difficult to really care at this point.

"Fuck breakfast." He mumbled into her neck, as he ripped off her panties from under her skirt. It was only seconds later that she heard the tell tale sound of a belt buckle being undone. He probed her with fingers for a second before bringing his hand to his mouth and spitting on it.

"You're going to have to start learning how to get yourself wet in situations like this Lisa. Saliva's fine for now but it would be great to know that it was all you." He pushed into her in one solid stroke, covering her mouth with his, using it in a similar manner as below. It was such a frenzied affair on his part that he only removed the clothing that was directly in the way.

After what could only be described by Jackson as the most satisfying sex he'd ever had, he buried his face in her neck and then bit it none too lightly when he came. He just stood here panting while still inside her for several minutes, basking in the afterglow of his success.

She, on the other hand, just sat there and tried not to scream. When he was finally ready to leave her embrace, he reached for a couple of napkins and pressed them to where they were joined as he pulled out. He wanted to minimize the mess as he hadn't exactly chosen the most sanitary place in the world to do this. What could he say; he got a little carried away with the excitement of the moment.

He moved her hand, indicating for her to take over the napkin detail that he'd begun. "Go freshen up while I reheat breakfast."

She sat there for a moment longer after he left her before clumsily sliding off the counter. Then, with the humiliation of the situation pouring off of her in waves, she awkwardly walked back to her bathroom to do as he instructed her and to put on a new pair of underwear.

"Don't shower, you don't need it and besides, who knows what will happen after breakfast. We can't have you taking showers all of the time, now can we?"

AN: I'm going to do something uncharacteristic and give you guys a slight insight into the future of the story. As I'm sure you've noticed, this has been a very one sided fic with Jackson pretty much winning all of the time. Just to alleviate some of your fears, this will not _always_ be the case. While I'm not saying who actually wins in the end, Jackson or Lisa, I am saying that Jackson won't always be on top...wow, that pun really wasn't intended, I swear. Anyway, thanks again to all who read and kudos to everyone who's reviewed. It truly does mean a lot!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 – Something Wanted

The sun was warm and penetrating but the cool ocean breeze balanced it well, almost making this one of the most beautiful days Lisa Reisert had ever had the pleasure of enjoying. It almost made her forget where she was, whom she was with and most of all, it nearly made her forget exactly what she'd become.

Sometimes she wished she could put it out of her mind Then life would be so much simpler. She wouldn't have to wake up each day and find that the last six months hadn't been just some elaborate and excruciating nightmare. She wouldn't have to feel like some piece of medieval chattel that had been bought and paid for like a parcel of winter wheat. She could just be content with her place in life, as the kept woman of a well to do assassin for hire.

It continually amazed her that she was in the position in which now she found herself. That simply, a year ago she had been the manager of a major hotel with a loving family and overprotective father. Now she stood there against the railing of a deck that overlooked the ocean and allowed the creature that had caused everything she now detested in her life to run his hand down the indent and curve of her spine without even flinching.

It had been like that for some time now. He could touch her whenever he pleased and not be met with one ounce of defiance. Where had that woman gone? Where had Rippner hidden her away? Was she dead like so many of his contracts or had he just smuggled her away to some unknown location that Lisa was unlikely to find?

"Beautiful morning." He stated simply before giving her a quick peck on the cheek. He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her gently to him.

"Hm," was her non committal reply.

"Would you like to eat out here on the veranda or in the kitchen?"

She thought about it for the moment and found that she couldn't bring herself to make a decision. It _was_ beautiful out this morning and she _had_ eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same kitchen bar hundreds of times now but she still couldn't bring herself to care. Either way, she ate the breakfast he prepared in his company. A shrug of her shoulders was her final answer.

"Out here then. It's rare to have a non gusty morning so we'll take advantage of it." He didn't seem to mind her apathy being that he was used to it these days. Little he said got any kind of rise out of her these days and the reactions he did receive were as mild as a brow that furrowed for a couple seconds and nothing more. He squeezed her against him lightly and quickly kissed her neck before pulling away to retrieve their meal.

While she waited, she once again confirmed, as she had many times over the past month, that this life was really quiet boring. Once you stop trying to think of ways to escape it and acclimate yourself to the amorous activities of the person you hate more than anything else in existence, life begins to lose its thrill. That bothered her but not enough to make her act. It was just an underlying feeling. Like a low, quiet ache in your joints. You learn to live with it. You don't like it and you may even hate it but you don't do anything about it. Doing something about it would be too much work, too much bother and most of all; it would make you actually acknowledge that the ache was there to begin with. Lisa wasn't up for that at the moment. She had no reason to be. She had no motivation and no foreseeable recourse. Sighing, she turned away from the ocean when she heard him set the two china plates down on the glass surface of the outdoor table.

Jackson smiled inwardly at the way his bird was adjusting to her caged existence. She was reacting predictably these days. It seemed her will to fight had all but disappeared. The "all but" came from her continued obvious dislike of her situation and most of all, him. Jackson was now convinced that she would never lose that. It didn't displease him in the least, in fact, that was the part of her he most enjoyed. He may have grown bored with her if she had lost that spark and he would have eventually disposed of his pet. Unfortunately for her, he didn't see that happening in the foreseeable future. She was perfect and she was all his.

The company was also happy with her progress. Though none of them had met her personally, they had seen her progress in a series of tapes that Jackson had provided them. There were cameras; of course, all over the house and Jackson had been only slightly picky. Due to a sense of modesty for her part and a sense of territorial possessiveness on his part, he only gave them tapes that alluded to their intimate encounters or tapes that showed her progress in other ways. Either way, they displayed constant improvement on her part toward her needed adjustment. All this despite the increased workload he'd acquired with his new position within the company.

That part of his life was progressing with just as much success as he'd had with Lisa. He picked team leaders that then went about the monotonous task that he was all too familiar with of choosing specific point men, watchers, and gatherers with a clean up crew as well the tedious job of procuring the correct materials for the job. It was great. After selecting the correct lead, he would wait for the report on the status of assignments and approve or disapprove of any and all actions. It was great. Granted, it was more work in the end since he was now in charge of multiple operations at one time instead of just the sole mission he was previously used to but he didn't mind. It was a challenge and that was something Jackson would always relish. A challenge.

The two ate together in companionable silence. Jackson watched as Lisa seemed to be staring at something off to his right but her expression lacked any real focus. _It must not be anything important, _he thought to himself.

"Not hungry?" Her attention broke as languidly, Lisa's eyes moved from her current point of interest to her food that she hadn't touched and then onto him.

"No." She said simply and returned her gaze to its previous occupation.

"I'm touched Leese, really." He stated as he cut into his portion of ham and placed a small piece into his mouth. One of Lisa's classic brow furrows appeared but stayed longer than they usually did these days. That was probably because it wasn't caused out of annoyance or heartache but actual confusion. She stayed like that for some time, with the same expression until she obviously gave up trying to figure out his unusually cryptic comment and looked to him for clarification. She watched him for quite awhile, letting her gaze ask the question for her but Jackson was not going to play that way today. No, she was actually going to have to voice her desire for explanation. Her passive style was not going to cut it.

He raised an eyebrow at her when he looked up to find her still looking at him. A mock look of concern spread over his features. "Is there something the matter, Leese?" She rolled her eyes and he laughed in response.

"What did you mean?" She finally asked.

"Pardon?" He watched as she clenched her jaw. She sighed.

"A second ago," she was tired and didn't want to play his little game at the moment but curiosity got the better of her, "you said you were touched. What did that mean?"

"Oh, that." He feigned sudden recollection. "I actually find it rather cute." She was now going as far as giving him an exasperated look when it seemed he wouldn't continue with his explanation. He finally gave in.

"The fact that you want to be a mommy. It will suit you."

Lisa gave him a death stare, having completely forgotten whatever it had been she was observing over his right shoulder and picked up her fork. He smiled when she started eating.

"Oh, now that hurts." He placed his hand that wasn't holding his fork over his absent metaphorical heart.

"Fuck you." She said through a mouthful of hash browns.

He laughed. It was fun to get the mostly quiet Lisa Reisert worked up these days. So much fun in fact, why should he stop there? She'd just opened herself up to a multitude of great comebacks. The only question was, which one would he use? All this mental musing happened in a split second as he chose his next words.

"I'm only one man Leese. You're going to have to wait a while before we can do that again." He admonished with as much mirth as he felt.

"You're an idiot." She said after she swallowed and then moved onto her ham.

Jackson chuckled. It was an uncharacteristic response on her part but at least she was smart enough to say something so ridiculous that he wouldn't dignify it with a response. He observed her as she finished her breakfast in record time.

"Let's get out of here." That got her attention. "I'm sure you're tired of this little island, so let's get out and see a few other things shall we?"

"Off the island." She said more to herself than to him.

"You up for it, Love?" He watched as Lisa turned to look at the expanse of ocean behind her. She turned back to him and nodded but didn't look him in the eye. She hated admitting that she wanted anything from him but for once he was offering something she truly did want. Strangely, the idea of leaving the island, even if it was with him, felt strangely freeing.

"Off the island." She said again.


	18. Chapter 18

AN: Well, here I am, showing my face after close to two years. I could tell you why it's taken me this long. I could lie or I could tell you the truth. Either one would probably not satisfy everyone that I've kept waiting for far too long so I'll just let you imagine the best reason to suit each of you and leave it at that. Also, sorry this one was so short but getting back into this after so long is tough. I'll tell you one thing, it's nothing like riding a bike. And finally, it's also not beta'd so please try and overlook what are probably many, many mistakes. Sorry again, now enjoy!

Chapter 18 – Out of the Cage

Lisa watched from her small plane window as the ocean continued to pass beneath them as it had been doing for the past hour. She had no idea where they were going and Jackson had been uncharacteristically quiet since takeoff. She shifted slightly and suppressed an exasperated sigh as she was once again reminded of just how tightly Jackson had strapped her into her seat. It wasn't just a normal seatbelt that she wore but rather a full harness and just to make sure she didn't do anything unexpected, he'd cuffed her hands together and connected them to an eyebolt attached to the seat. She'd questioned him on whether it was necessary but had been met with a sarcastic comment about how she didn't have the greatest track record when it came to the combination of the two of them and planes.

A faint sound coming from the headphones Jackson was wearing caused her to stop looking out the window and up at her pilot. For being such a sadistic bastard, her captor did seem to have a great many talents. He seemed completely at ease behind the controls of the small aircraft and he probably got a lot of practice considering it was most likely the only transportation to and from the island. When Jackson responded to the voice in his headset, Lisa learned yet another thing about him. He seemed to speak fluent Spanish as well. Despite having lived in a populace where the language was common place, Lisa still only knew the basics and was thus only able to pick up a few words here and there. He rattled off some numbers while checking instruments and a few other words that she didn't understand.

"Looks like we'll be landing soon Leese." He spoke over his shoulder without looking at her. "I hope your flight has been a pleasant one. It was certainly better than the last time we flew together."

Lisa didn't respond. She had nothing to say about his obvious reference to their first meeting. Returning her attention to the world outside the plane, Lisa soon enough saw what she assumed to be the mainland. The possibilities of just what country they were going to be landing in flitted through her mind. From her still very distant vantage point, the scenery looked rather lush as a vibrant green stretched as far as her eye could see. She began to wonder if she would have an opportunity to find out where they would be landing and maybe find out where she had been for the past half of a year? Also, why exactly were they going anyway? Jackson rarely, if ever, did anything without some kind of plan or reason.

She was excited to be away and when the wheels of the plane touched down on the tarmac, she began to fidget in her seat. Along with her excitement was a growing feeling of dread that she just couldn't shake. The tiny airport they landed in was little more than an old pothole riddled runway and a small shack at the other end. Her dread mounted when, after a short taxi to the side of the runway, a sleek black car pulled up beside the powering down plane.

"Wait here for a second Leese. I'll be right back." Jackson said as he unbuckled himself and slid out of the small door.

Lisa watched as Jackson walked over to the driver's side door and spoke to the man inside after the window was rolled down. He motioned back in her direction a couple of times, seemed to laugh once and finally patted the top of the car before he left. A few moments later, he slid open the cargo bay door and Lisa was hit by the warm tropical air outside the plane.

"Whose car is that?" Lisa asked as Jackson uncuffed her from the seat and then began unbuckling the intricate harness.

"It belongs to an associate of mine." Jackson offered obligingly while the driver of the car pulled their bags out from beneath the plane. "We'll be staying with them as well. It's only a short drive from here." The driver looked up from his work to her and smiled an odd sort of smile before carrying their bags to the trunk of the car.

"How long are we going to stay?"

"As long as it takes." He responded cryptically as he took her hand to help her out. "But let's get going, apparently there's a nice dinner waiting for us. Wouldn't want to be late, only one chance for a first impression.

The dread continued to mount.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 - New Faces

All members of the car were quiet as they drove down the well maintained dirt road. But where their mouths were silent, both Jackson and Lisa's minds were in overdrive. For Lisa, everything was a question. Where were they going? Why? Who were they going to be meeting? How long and was anything terrible going to happen? It was getting to a point for the poor woman that her fidgeting had become far more noticeable. She had never been one to fidget in the past when she became nervous. This was a new development. Before, she dealt with it in a far healthier manner by facing it, working to relieve it and eventually conquering it. But that was then, back when she, not some sociopath, mostly controlled the fate of her life. She was so caught up in her own unstable thoughts that she actually jumped when Jackson put his hands over her rapidly moving ones. He didn't say anything or even look at here but continued to look out the window on his side of the car. He just held her hands until they stopped and then released them to sit in the same manner that he had been before. For the first time in her life, Lisa actually envied some part of Jackson, his cool demeanor. He always had it. She imagined that there was never a time in his sick life that anything had ever really bothered him. It actually made her angry but she found that she preferred her anger to the constant and unquenchable agitation of moments before. God she hated him.

Despite what Lisa thought of him, however, Jackson at the moment was having issues of his own. He was just better at dealing with it than Lisa was. Jackson's biggest problem at the moment was uncertainty. Control was what he strived for in every aspect of his life and very soon, he was not going to be the one in control. He knew this would happen from the moment he'd decided to steal Lisa. Everyone that caged themselves a bird had to go through what lay at the end of this road in a house not too unlike his own. Knowing that didn't make him feel any better. He just didn't like the idea that someone else was going to decide the ultimate fate of the woman that sat next to him. He wasn't worried about what would happen to her if it was deemed that she wasn't suitable but rather it was the thought of all the time and effort he would have wasted in this pursuit that bothered him. Six months of constant planning and execution would be wasted and for what, a little bit of convenient sex?

Jackson squeezed his right hand tightly at his side and forced himself to calm down. He needed to keep his wits about him and he needed to keep extra attention on Lisa until all of this was over. Once he'd regained his mental composure he placed his left hand on Lisa's twitching ones to make her stop. It was annoying and didn't send out the right signals at the moment. When she'd calmed, he withdrew his hand and acted as though he hadn't done anything to begin with. From this moment on, he could not interfere. He saw the house come into view as they rounded a heavily vegetated bend in the road. It was out of his hands now and his months of training and work on his little bird were about to be put to the test. He took a deep breath and readied himself for the test to come.

Lisa studied the house out of her window as the car pulled into the semicircular drive. It looked simple enough from the outside with its one story and cream adobe exterior. The gardens that surrounded it were what really made the place impressive. It seemed that about an acre or two of land had been cleared of the lush tropical forest that surrounded estate and in its place were cultured and well maintained hedges, flower beds, trees and walkways that wove in and out of the different venues. It looked like a park with a small house nestled right in the center of it. Lisa's attention changed from the landscape to that of a woman as she exited the house and approached the car. Lisa didn't get a good first look at her before she passed out of view behind a large ornamental shrub. She jumped when her door was opened for her by the driver.

"Get out." Was all Jackson said as he opened his own door and exited the vehicle. Lisa took a deep breath and did as she was told. She stepped out into the still warm evening air and reflexively stretched a little.

"This way." The driver said as he directed her path with a gesture of his hand. She stepped around the car to find both Jackson and now the woman standing next to one another, obviously waiting for her. Lisa couldn't help but notice that the driver remained awfully close to her. It was plain to her that he was there to keep her from running if she had chosen to do so. He looked extremely fit underneath his jeans and white polo shirt. He was a bigger man than Jackson in every way. He stood at what Lisa guessed to be around 6'2" and probably weighed at least 200 pounds. He was dark and muscular with a few days of stubble on his otherwise handsome face.

"Leese, let me introduce you to a colleague of mine, Angie Mason." He politely introduced when she'd reached the waiting duo. The woman smiled warmly and extended her hand as though this were a regular meeting between two people in the normal world. Not fully sure of what to do, Lisa extended her hand in the same manner, all under the watchful eye of Jackson and their driver.

"Um, hi." Was all that Lisa managed to get out. She wasn't sure why but she'd been expecting a man to be Jackson's business partner, not a woman and certainly not a woman that looked like the one before her. She was short. Several inches shorter than herself with thick, dark brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail. She wore tight fitting cargo pants and a tight, plain white tee shirt that accentuated her rather large breasts and slender physique. If she had ever thought of what a hit woman looked like, this never would have been the image that her mind supplied. The 30 something woman looked more like someone that would frequent her hotel with a 50 something husband and spend all her time on the beach or shopping. Of all the words in Lisa's vocabulary, the one that best described the woman whose hand she was now shaking was…cute.

"It's good to finally meet you Lisa. I've learned so much about you; it's good to have you here in the flesh." Before she let Lisa respond to the odd greeting, she continued. "Well let's get into the house before the bugs really start to come out." And the four of them started up to the house. Directing the question at Jackson's very attractive acquisition, she spoke again. "Do you notice that at your place Lisa, that all of the really annoying critters come out right before it gets dark?"

The simple question threw Lisa for a moment but she answered after an awkward pause. "Um, yeah…I guess they do." This new woman's easy conversational tone was somewhat disconcerting and set Lisa further on edge.

"Yeah, I thought so. It's not like you're all that far away. Pretty convenient if you ask me." Lisa's brow furrowed but she continued to walk with the troop. She couldn't help but wonder what this new woman meant by convenient.

Once they arrived inside of the house, Angie stopped them all inside of the small foyer. Jack, why don't you and Derek go fix yourselves a drink. Might as well get this stared after all." When no one moved, Angie laughed and moved to push the driver in the direction she wanted them to go. "Don't worry about me you big goof, I can handle this just fine. Fix Jack one of your famous cable cars. It'll be on the sweet side for his tastes but make him one anyway." When they finally started to move to one of the connecting rooms Angie stopped them. "Oh where are my manners, do you want anything Lisa? A Sea breeze or something?"

Lisa's mouth opened slightly in response and Jackson cringed. He knew there was a reason he'd been dreading this. When she didn't get a response she just shrugged. "Nothing for you eh? Alright then you two can get going then." Angie watched them leave before turning to an increasingly agitated Lisa.

She looked at Jackson's bird for a few moments. In a way she felt sorry for the woman. It was her habit of placing herself in other people's shoes no matter who they were. It was part of her style when she had been a field agent. It was part of what made her such a successful killer. Her empathy for others allowed her to more accurately guess what their next move would be. She always felt sorry for them but only for a moment. Once it was done, so were her feelings. Killing people was her job but today it was to assess the viability of Jackson's choice. She wouldn't know today or tomorrow, this was just preliminaries to give her an idea.

In a truly soothing voice and gently touching Lisa's shoulder, Angie spoke. "Hey, calm down. Nothing bad is going to happen. I just want to talk to you is all. Now just go in there and have a seat." She said, pointing to the room to their left. "I'm going to get us some coffee." When Lisa didn't move right away, Angie prodded some more. "Come on, right in there. I'll be back in a second. Trust me, it's really good coffee."

Lisa just acted on autopilot and went into the room. The door closed behind her and she quickly noticed when she looked at it that it looked just like the doors in Jackson's home. Undoubtedly she was locked in now. At the moment, Lisa had no idea what to think or what to do. She thought about trying the door but even if she got out where would she go. This house was the only sign of civilization she'd seen since the airstrip and she was not a survivalist. So she just sat down in one of the chairs that surrounded the central gathering area of the room and waited for her coffee and the unnerving woman to return.

xxxxxxx

AN: Well here's another one and less than 24 hours later. Thanks for the reviews but a special note to megganc. You're very right about my lack of description in the last chapter, thanks for pointing it out. In fact, you're review made me think of how to introduce something rather important in the next chapter! I enjoy all reviews but constructive ones are simply the best, especially after such a long break and my own rustiness. Thanks again.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20 - Angie's Methods

Jackson stood leaning against the kitchen's range as he watched Derek fixing a couple of mixed drinks that he could almost guarantee he was going to hate. Jackson had never been much of a drinker to begin with and something that had Orange Curacao and sweet and sour in it was just going to make him want to vomit. Whenever he did deign to partake in such beverages, he almost always poured himself a dram of a nice Islay scotch whiskey, no ice. However, if Angie Mason asked you to try a drink, you tried the damn drink no matter how ill it was most likely going to make you. He watched in growing distress as Derek rimmed the martini glasses with what appeared to be cinnamon and sugar. He looked away from the bartending travesty just in time to see Angie walk into the kitchen. That got his attention.

"You left her alone?" His voice contained a berating tone and he straightened up from his leaning position.

Angie ignored the tenor in his voice completely but answered readily enough. "Yup. Just came in to get us some coffee." She said as she grabbed a couple of mugs from an overhead cabinet and then moved over to pour some already prepared coffee into them. She didn't look at Jackson. "I've wanted to tell you something Jack ever since I heard you were contemplating taking Ms. Reisert on as your personal pet project."

Jackson waited through a long pause as Angie took her time pouring the steaming liquid. He'd had enough of her silence when she started to riffle through the refrigerator to retrieve the cream for her own and maybe Lisa's coffee. Angie had always excelled at irritating him and now was no different. Why the company had chosen her to be the one that made the decision about Lisa, he had no idea but at the moment he really wanted to punch whoever it was in the face.

"Well?" He finally asked, not willing to wait on her any longer when it appeared she wasn't going to follow up on her original statement. "What is it you wanted to tell me?" He didn't attempt to hide the irritation he was feeling from his voice. He watched as Angie placed the full mugs on a tray along with the cream and now sugar from the tabletop. She picked up the tray and scooted out of the kitchen, pushing the door open with her backside.

"That you probably shouldn't have." She said looking right at him before the door closed and cut off their view of one another.

"Fuck." Jackson mumbled under his breath. He turned back to the 'bartender' when he heard the man chuckling softly. "What?" He asked tersely. Derek just kept chuckling however as he poured the liquid from the shaker into the prepared glasses before offering the finished product to the other man in the kitchen

Xxxx

"Here's some of that coffee I promised you." Angie told Lisa as she walked in the door balancing the tray in one hand. As she brought the tray over to the coffee table, she noticed that her guest never once took her eyes off of her. "Do you take anything with your coffee Lisa?" She asked as she poured a generous amount of cream into her own cup. When Lisa didn't answer after a few moments, Angie spoke again. "I'm going to take it by your silence that you prefer it black." With the sugar on the tray untouched, she held out the offered black coffee and waited. Now growing a little tired of her uncooperativeness, Angie decided to play a little dirty in order to get the mute out of her self created shell. "I'm not going to wait all day Leese."

Lisa's eyes snapped up to hold the gaze of Jackson's coworker and after a few intense moments, she took the coffee. She wanted to punch the woman in the face when she smiled at her. Even though it wasn't the condescending type of smile that she was used to Jackson giving her, it still irritated her that anyone would smile around her. A painful realization hit only moments later and caused her to look away from this new person and down at the coffee she'd taken. It had been a long time since she'd felt like fighting back. Most things rolled off her back these days and she only really became agitated when Jackson purposely pushed her to react. However, from the moment she'd seen Jackson talking to the man that drove them here, she'd been on edge. That in and of itself wasn't what made her feel sick to her stomach at the moment. It was the fact that right now, being alone with this woman and _without_ Jackson made her feel more rebellious, less secure and more frightened than she would if he were still in the room with her. She should feel better with him gone not worse!

Angie took in all of the changes in expression on the face of the woman in front of her. It was really interesting to watch. All it had taken was a key word that Jackson almost always used with her to illicit such a strong reaction. One of two things was going to happen now. Lisa was either going to clam up tighter than a stuck jar lid or she was going to become somewhat distraught. Neither was easy to deal with but Angie had enough experience to not be daunted by the task in front of her. There was one problem, Jackson.

He'd been told before taking on this project that there was a best way of accomplishing the task. He'd been told and he'd summarily dismissed all recommendations. This was of course his prerogative to do but it made Angie's task much more difficult since she wasn't going to be dealing with a lot of the common emotions, anxieties and actions that the tried and true method usually elicited. Lisa was going to be a bit unpredictable at times and that's exactly why Derek had been slow to leave them alone. He knew enough about this case to know that it was going to be more dangerous than usual. Had Jackson's tastes run down a different road and if Angie were now dealing with a man, she probably would have kept Derek around. For the moment though, she felt confident that she could handle most all situations with this less than intimidating woman.

Since Jackson had played things differently, then so was she. Taking a moment to compose her thoughts and polishing her strategy, Angie readied herself for the task at hand.

"Here's what we're going to do Lisa." She started and maintained absolute readiness just in case something unplanned for happened. "I'm going to give you a little speech. If at any point you want some clarification about anything I'm about to say, feel free to jump in. Ok?" After a few moments and no response from Lisa, she continued. "I know almost everything there is to know about you. I know what kind of kid you were and what kind of grades you got in school. I know what teachers liked you as you grew up and I have a real good estimation as to why. I know who your first boyfriend was and why you broke up with him. I know who your family is, who is important to you and who is not. I know all that stuff and I know even more." She paused for a few seconds to see if she'd get any response out of her yet. When she didn't, she continued. "I know it all. I know where you got that scar Lisa."

Angie stopped when she saw Lisa's expression change to even more pained and watched as her hand shot up to conceal the mark that her square neck blouse did not keep outside eyes from. However, the red head chose not say anything quite yet, so Angie continued on once more.

"I know when you became a mark for the company with the Keefe job and I knew the moment Jackson took more than just a working interest in you. I've been intimately involved with everything that Jackson and you did from that moment on. I know about your clever attempts to stop it all on the plane. I know what you did and exactly how Jackson handled it. I've seen just about everything you've done, said and even eaten from the moment he brought you into his home." That finally got a good reaction out of her. She she'd expected, Jackson had not informed Lisa of the cameras inside the house.

"You've _seen_ it?" Lisa couldn't help but ask, too shocked to remain quiet.

"I'm afraid so. All of these houses have the capability for 24 hour surveillance conducted in all rooms. This house isn't set up for that at the moment but it was part of conditions Jack had to abide by in his house. You see, it's all a part of the process. It's why you're here with me now. I'm aware that Jackson has mentioned it to you once but I'll give you a little reminder that I'm sure you probably don't need. He's not the one that decides what ultimately happens to you Lisa…I am."

With that, Lisa immediately stood up and spilled some of her coffee onto her shirt and the floor. "No, I don't want to do this."

Angie followed suit and stood as well but maintained her calm unlike her guest. "I wasn't lying when I told you nothing bad was going to happen. You're just fine. Now please calm down."

"I'm tired of being calm! I'm tired of people like you and all of this!" She shouted as she gestured generally around herself, spilling more coffee in the process.

"I know you are and trust me, I know how you must be feeling at the moment. But I need you to calm down." Angie wasn't actually concerned with how calm Lisa was at the moment. She knew she'd be calm momentarily.

"You have no idea how I feel. None of you do! You can't possibly!" She was getting more hysterical by the moment.

Angie watched her carefully but wasn't concerned about her reaction in the least. In fact, she'd been counting on it and she'd been counting on the turning of the doorknob in response to the shouting. It was why, while still keeping a close watch on Lisa, she had made her way back over to the door. She didn't need to see the face of the man coming through the door because she knew it wasn't Derek. With practiced ease, she punched Jackson square in the neck and grabbed his not nearly short enough hair in almost the same motion, pulling him into the room and crashing him into a desk that sat behind the sofa on which she'd been sitting. Without having to look, she knew Derek would be following in shortly after her but not to assist in the Jackson situation but to keep an eye on Lisa who had predictably stopped screaming and now just watched in unconcealed awe.

Jackson didn't have time to even get up or even roll off of his stomach before a knee harshly dug into the back of his neck. Before he could voice his outraged protest to whatever the hell was going on, a quiet and completely calm feminine voice spoke only a few inches from his ear.

"What part of our communications said anything about your getting involved in this part of the process Jack?" She emphasized the name she knew he hated that she'd been using all evening. With that she smoothly stood up and moved away from the prone and very pissed off man on the ground. "Get up." She ordered before Jackson had a chance to respond.

Lisa watched the whole scene in complete amazement and rapture. Seeing Jackson go down like that had been one of the best parts of her life to date. Angie, the rather small and deceptively pleasant looking woman, had done it so easily with what looked like no effort at all. She couldn't see Jackson from her vantage at the moment as he'd fallen behind the couch but her mind supplied the image readily enough. Angie's voice brought back Lisa out of her reverie.

"See Lisa, I told you nothing bad was going to happen." Angie smiled at her as she said it. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today as I now need to have a little chat with Jack." As she said this, the man in question was standing up and rubbing his aching throat. "Derek, please escort our guest to her room and make sure that she has everything she needs." She watched as Derek had no problem taking a hold of Lisa's upper arm and gently guiding her out of the room. "Oh, one more thing," she continued when Lisa turned to look at her, "you'll find no locked doors in this house but please stay in your room until morning." She smiled again as she said it. "I'd really appreciate it."

XXXX

AN: The reviews have been wonderful and you are all being too nice to someone that kept you waiting for so long. Thanks for the little ego boosts and happy reading!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 – Starting the Process

"Why'd you come through that door Jack?" Angie asked as the door to the study closed leaving the two of them alone for the first time since their arrival. She asked it in an almost mocking tone as she made her way over to the bookcases that lined the wall opposite the door.

Jackson really didn't feel like talking. Not only did he not feel like explaining himself to her at the moment but his throat hurt like hell.

"Oh come on Jack, I didn't hit you that hard. I hope you noticed as well that I purposely hit low so I wouldn't do any permanent damage." She opened one of the cabinets that were interspersed among the shelves loaded with books to reveal a small bar lined with crystal decanters and matching tumblers. "At least I don't think anything will be permanent." She finished with a small smile.

"Was that really necessary?" He finally rasped out.

"I thought it was." She answered casually as she poured a small amount of scotch into two of the tumblers. "Have a seat Jack." She indicated the couch that he stood behind and then walked over and handed him one of the glasses. "It's a very good single malt. You should like it I think." She sat down opposite him in one of the wing back chairs. "Now why did you come through that door?" When he didn't answer right away she chuckled one of those condescending laughs that did nothing except raise Jackson's hackles even more than they already were. Angie knew exactly what buttons to push with him and always had.

"It sounded like things were getting out of hand." He finally supplied in response.

"Aw, were you worried about the safety of your little acquisition?"

"I know what you're capable of Angela."

"Yes, and I thought I knew what you were capable of." She quickly and sharply responded back. "But after watching those tapes I started to wonder, would Jack come to his little woman's rescue? I wasn't positive that you would but low and behold…you came through that door."

Jackson took a sip of his scotch and said nothing. He really didn't have a comeback or a defense so he let things lie as they were. But the scotch really was good. That didn't really surprise him though, since Angie had been the one to turn him onto the stuff to begin with.

Having had enough fun with Jackson at the moment, Angie decided to change gears slightly. It didn't really matter why he'd come through the door this time but if it ever happened again, then that would be something to be potentially concerned about. "I'm glad that you did though, she'll probably like me more now."

"Hmph, probably." He took another small sip.

"I gotta ask, why did you decide to go the way you did with her? Why not just use the usual? If you were anyone else, I'd ask you if you just didn't like beating up on women but I know from personal experience, that's just not the case. I mean, you used to beat the ever living snot out of me when we used to train together."

"I haven't been able to do that for a while. You started focusing on those skills far more than I did." He remarked in an almost reminiscent sort of way. He realized suddenly that he wasn't angry with her anymore. She'd always had a knack for changing the tenor of a discussion without the other person even realizing it. In retrospect he felt like even more of a fool for the way he'd acted. He should have known that any reaction Angie would get out of Lisa would most likely be intended. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten about that ability of the woman that sat across from him, sipping her own drink.

"Then why are you doing it that way?" She asked again.

Jackson smiled before he answered. This was one subject that he already had all of the answers prepared. He'd anticipated it. "To see if I could."

Angie raised an eyebrow. "You know there's a good chance I'll have to take her out because of it."

He just nodded his head but said nothing. Even with prepared answers, he decided not to say anything about that possibility for the moment.

"Alright then, just so we were clear about that, I just want to ask a few questions then." She didn't give him anytime to consent, instead she just launched into them. She asked about his perception of Lisa's current state. She asked about her moods and habits, her reaction to different stimuli and more importantly to Jackson himself. She asked about how he thought things were going and about how well he thought she might do here. Two hours, five notebook pages and another drink refill later, Angie started to wrap things up.

"I think that's all we need to talk about tonight. You have anything for me?"

"Do you really think she's still going to be in her room since you told her none of them are locked?"

Angie smiled. "We'd already know if she wasn't, Derek's watching the door so to speak." She replied as she stood up. "Oh, I almost forgot. The two of you will be staying in the same room together."

"What?" Jackson was caught off guard. He hadn't even done that in the safety of his own home.

"Together. You'll both be staying in the same room while you're here." She said it as though it were the most obvious decision in the world. "Also," she supplied the already incredulous man, "I want you to sleep with her every night you're here unless I tell you otherwise."

"Sleep with her." He repeated. Surely she was joking.

"Yeah, you know…intercourse." She noted Jackson's incredulous stare. "Just do it. I know what I'm doing here. And don't think for a moment that I'm having you do it out of any kinky measure on my part. It's standard procedure in my book."

"Fine. But tell me Angela, why you? Why were you chosen to do this?" He was visibly angry again.

Angie smiled. "I'm aware you didn't know this Jack but I've been doing all of these for the company for a long time now. So get over yourself, it had absolutely nothing to do with you. Now just go do what I told you to do and I'll see you in the morning."

xxxx

Lisa lay quietly on the bed. That woman. How could she act so cavalier about everything that had happened to her? Jackson was one thing. He was a cold, sadistic sociopath but this woman Angie, outwardly she didn't seem at all like Jackson appearance or demeanor. So for her to act like she did… It was baffling and left Lisa on unstable emotional footing. For all that she didn't like about her, there was one thing that she absolutely adored. She seemed to have an excellent ability to get under Jackson's skin in such a way that he actually acted like he didn't know what to do. That was something she had never seen before today. Lisa felt pretty certain that Angie went out of her way to make Jackson feel uncomfortable. She wondered if this was just her usual habit around Jackson or if she now acted this way because of her. She wondered about the history between the two. Had something happened between them at some point in the past that caused Angie to harbor some sort of animosity toward Jackson and why, after being punched in the neck and thrown into a table, didn't he retaliate? Did Angie have some sort of leverage over him? And if she did, perhaps it would be just the thing to get herself started on some sort of freedom from the madman. Lisa was fairly sure that Angie was in no way going to be her knowing ally but at this point anything was better than going back to the hopeless existence she'd led before coming here. But she also needed to consider that if in some way Angie were able to help her out of her current prison, she might be setting herself up for something even worse. And though she found that thought hard to believe, she had to keep the possibility open that it may just be the case. She didn't know much about Jackson but he had become more predictable as time had passed whereas she knew next to nothing about Angie and even less about the mostly quiet Derek.

Lisa closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Everything about this place and her somewhat new situation was beginning to give her quite a headache. She took a couple of deep breaths and tried to quiet her overtaxed mind. Her mental relaxation didn't last too long when she heard the door to the room open. Immediately, she sat up and looked to see who had just entered the room. It was Jackson and he wasn't his normal self. He was visibly out of sorts. He looked…angry.

Jackson slowly walked into the room and made a deliberate show of closing the door behind him. In his peripheral vision he watched as Lisa sat up and then stood. He took in the layout of the room as he crossed and headed straight for her. It was filled with potential weapons. Angie hadn't even had the decency to make the room a safe place to keep a person who hated him and would love to watch him die. She expected him to share the room with her with it in this state? There were the cliché sorts of weapons, like a large heavy candlestick on an end table next to a wing back chair as well as a letter opener on the desk across the room. He wouldn't have been surprised to see a lead pipe on the window sill. Unconventional weapons included spindle legged tables that could easily be broken off and used as a blunt style weapon and rope tiebacks on the curtains of the windows that would make for an effective garrote. Honestly, it didn't get any more ridiculous than this. He wondered if Angie had actually decorated the room specifically with him and this situation in mind. Now, with a full inventory of the visible items in the room taken in, he finally looked to Lisa. He studied her posture and the position of her arms and quickly determined that she didn't have any dangerous surprises in store for him.

Lisa actually backed away from him. She hadn't seen this kind of cold fury in Jackson's eyes since he caught her writing bomb messages on the lavatory mirror of the red eye. He looked deadly and frightening. The moment she turned to move out of his steady path, he was on her. He didn't say anything. There were no false assurances, no witty jabs and no condescending speeches. He just grabbed her retreating upper arm and pulled her roughly to him. The moment their bodies collided with one another's, his other hand wound its way into her auburn locks. At first she thought he was going to kiss her in some kind of desperate demanding sort of way but when he pulled her to him, he didn't go for her lips, instead he buried his face in her neck. She stood there frozen, terrified by his unusual demeanor and this unique display. She didn't honestly know what to make of it, a feeling she was beginning to think would never leave her.

Jackson just held her there and breathed in the smell that was uniquely Lisa and all his. Or at least he thought that only a few scant hours ago. If he found out that Angie was acting in any manner outside of the normal vetting process, there would be hell to pay. He'd find out a way of paying her back and he would take pleasure in doing it.

"Take your clothes off." He whispered

xxxx

AN: Not entirely sure that I'm fully happy with this chapter. I'm finding it difficult to write Jackson at the moment since I'm throwing him into a type situation that you never get to see in the movie. I desperately want to keep him in character and I'm just not sure I'm pulling it off. So don't be surprised if you see revisions beyond just grammatical fixes to this chapter in the future. I hope you liked it more than I did. More to come soon.


	22. Chapter 22

Jackson paused outside the study door. The last time he'd turned this knob, he'd soon after received a quick punch to the neck. It still smarted from the night before and the unpleasant memory made him hesitate. It had been a long time since he'd felt this insecure. It was something he didn't enjoy. Irritated, he forced himself to open the door and face what was on the other side.

"Right on time." The familiar voice stated. Angela sat in a wing-backed chair and motioned him into the room. "Why don't you have a seat?" She pointed to a chair across from herself.

Jackson sat down on the thin arm of the retro style couch. If all practical forms of dissidence were removed, even he could act petty and childish.

Angie just raised the corner of her mouth, the not-quite-smile her only acknowledgement of his impetuous action. "How did you enjoy your first night's stay in my home?" He shot her a look which, when combined with the sudden tilt of his head, told her exactly what he thought of that particular question. She hadn't expected any response from him and was just about to continue when he surprised her.

"Where are the cameras?"

She laughed. It was no more than a quiet puff of air though the nose as she pursed her lips. "There is one in each of the recessed lights, one in the frame of the Goya reproduction and cleverly hidden in a book on the top of the bookcase." She leaned forward. "And every single one of them is disabled."

"I wonder why I don't believe you."

She rolled her eyes and took a few moments to decide exactly how to proceed. She couldn't use the normal vetting tactics in this case. The techniques Jackson had used up to this point on the woman would have made that difficult. Throw in the shared personal and professional history between Jackson and herself and it became impossible. She needed to shake him up. The farther she pushed him away from his comfort zone, the better chance she'd have at really finding out if could keep his little bird acquisition.

She really wished that the company could have had someone else take care of this one. She looked away from him before continuing.

"You and I have a lot of history."

She didn't see his eyes harden but she felt the tension in the room suddenly go up a notch. Obviously he'd expected a witty retort but when she'd raised her head to finally look at him, she saw him looking at her with an air of warning. She ignored it.

"But I wish you'd stop insulting me." She gave him a lop sided smile. "From the moment I saw you step out of that vehicle you've been nothing but completely insulting." Her smile didn't waiver when Jackson interrupted her.

"I've been insulting you?" He asked incredulously.

She didn't miss a beat and continued as if the man sitting across the room from her hadn't made a sound. "Everything about you; the way you've walked, spoken, even breathed has said nothing to me but one thing… that you need to mount some sort of defense against me."

Jackson laughed sarcastically. "And now you're going to convince me that I don't?"

"Again, insulting." Her smile disappeared. "Of the two people in this room, you aren't the one that should be expecting revenge based on our past." He didn't respond. Angie stood up and moved to the large picture window that overlooked her well kept back gardens. "Do you know why I chose Derek?"

"We aren't doing this." He rose and started for the hall door.

This was where she needed to push him but he wasn't going anywhere. "You walk out that door and all your work with Ms. Reisert with have been for nothing." She didn't need to turn around to know he'd stopped dead. "Now sit back down and answer the question Jack."

"It's Jackson."

"It wasn't six years ago."

"Things change."

"You don't, now answer the question." She waited patiently. She could be satisfied with waiting for his response for as long as it took so long as he didn't leave the room. Keeping her back to him, she allowed him that amount of privacy.

"No, I don't know why."

"I've always loved that about you. You've always excelled at simple direct honesty, even if you do need a little prodding to get you there at times." She noted his expression when she finally turned to face him. He was trying for that cold detached look. She knew better. "I'll tell you why. You didn't love me."

He said nothing and to his credit, his expression didn't change a bit.

"No matter how much I could have wished for it, no matter how well you could have pretended, you never would have. You can't. It's as impossible for you to feel love as it is for a blind man perceive a rainbow."

"You have no idea what I felt."

"Don't lie Jack, it doesn't suit you."

Again, he didn't respond.

"In all honesty, it's your inabilities that make you so perfect for your job. It's why you've risen so quickly to the level of team supervisor and why I'll never acquire that distinction. " She paused to allow him to respond but he maintained his silence. "With every job, I feel a modicum of guilt. Not enough to change how I operate but enough for upper management to have made it very clear that I've risen as high as I'm going to rise. It's just classic risk analysis. My skills will forever reside in profiling, mark interrogation and this." She gestured to the room in general but her actual meaning was clear. "But you? They see you as the safe bet every time. You deliver and you don't feel a damn thing."

His practiced calm remained in place. "And your point?"

"My point? Surely you can guess that."

It was his turn to look away. His entire body was tense. He was disgusted with the amount of effort we was putting into remaining calm. "Our past," he started but stumbled for half a second before making a quick recovery, "shouldn't affect what's happening right now at all."

"I couldn't agree with you more." She clarified when his expression actually changed. "That's how you've been insulting me. Between the two of us, you're not the one that should be worried about retribution. I'm not the one that was wronged. I'm not the one that found out I wasn't convincing enough to go through life faking it. So stop being an idiot and thinking I'm going to be anything less than impartial in all of this."

He fell back into silent mode. She knew that his lack of protest meant he had no argument to present and if he didn't have an argument, he didn't disagree. That wasn't the same as agreeing but it was a step in that direction.

"So can we get started or do I need to rehash more of the past?"

He acquiesced, albeit with a sarcastic gesture with his hands but Angela knew she could now proceed with far less prejudice than she could have only five minutes ago. She changed gears without missing a beat.

"Good." Making her way back over to the coffee table where she'd left her notebook she asked, "Do you trust her?" Angie flipped to a pre-designated page and uncapped the montblanc that had never left her hand.

He sighed but didn't take long before answering. "No, not in the least."

"There's that blunt honesty I love."

AN: I haven't got much. No excuses or explanations, just… sorry to keep you waiting for entirely too long. I too hope it doesn't happen again. I probably didn't work on this as much as I should have and I know I'm very rusty with the wring but I wanted to give you something. For what it's worth, I purposely kept it vague without a lot of internal commentary from either Jackson or Angela. I hope to have more for you soon.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Lisa sat on the edge of the large guest bed, her white knuckled hands gripping the bedspread beneath. She attempted to keep her breathing calm and measured as she tried to process her current situation behind tightly closed eyes. Jackson still wasn't back yet, having been summoned early in the morning by the large man named Derek. Despite the fact that she was running on thirty six hours without any sleep, she was wide awake. It would have been hard enough to get any sleep in this new and disconcerting place on its own but having Jackson in bed next to her all night ensured her sleeplessness. She was certain that her bedmate had gotten the same amount of rest that she had.

A light smile crept onto her lips as she realized that he had been just as uncomfortable with the situation. The one time she'd gotten up from bed to use the restroom, he'd been on tenterhooks from the moment she'd stirred to the moment she slid back into bed. Undoubtedly he was concerned she'd try and bludgeon him to death if he fell asleep. The thought made her open her eyes and survey the room and examine its contents for the first time. She'd been too much in a daze last night to do so. It looked like the kind of guest room you'd see in some home decorating magazine. In fact, from what she remembered of the night before, the study where she'd watched Jackson get throat punched and tossed to the ground had the same rich, luxurious feel to it. It was a sharp contrast to Jackson's much more Spartanly decorated home.

Lisa shook her head. What a stupid thing to be thinking about, the decorating tastes of these two people. Who cared that they have different styles? They were both monsters. They both killed people for a living. The beautiful, undoubtedly real Persian rug, the books on the shelves, even the very bed she'd been forced to share last night had all been paid for with people lives. She'd known all that at Jackson's but the horror of it seemed more real here. She shot up from the bed. The feel of it on her skin and what it symbolized suddenly too much for her to take. The forced calm she'd been tentatively maintaining for the past twelve hours suddenly evaporated. She ran for the door, living only in the moment. She'd figure out what to do after getting through the doorway.

Lisa grabbed for the doorknob only to have it move the split second before she could grasp it. The bridge of her nose collided with the now opening door releasing a flash of stars behind her eyes. She fell onto the ground with a hard smack to her behind.

"Oh shit." Angie quickly knelt down next to Jackson's bird. "What were you doing Lisa?" Her voice contained a mixture of concern and amusement.

"I… needed some fresh air." Lisa managed lamely.

Angie couldn't keep the chuckles at bay. As soon as she saw that Lisa wouldn't develop so much as a bruise, she laughed. It was immediately apparent that Lisa did not find the situation nearly as funny. Though it had served to knock the sudden need to flee right out of her.

"Well I'm sorry for hitting you with the door, I certainly didn't intent it." Angie was finally managing to get her giggles under control. "I just finished with Jackson and though I would come and check on you." She stood and offered an outstretched hand to the woman who was still holding her nose and sitting on the floor. "We can get you that fresh air." She left her hand out and waited for Lisa to take hold of it.

Lisa hesitated for a couple more moments but finally couldn't think of anything better to do. She finally took the offered hand and stood up a little shakily.

"Good. Let's go for a walk."

The two women made their way out of the small home and into the muggy morning air. Lisa watched as Angie walked slightly ahead of her as though she had no cares in the world. I aggravated her slightly. They walked along what seemed like little more than a game trail for several minutes in silence before Angie finally decided to break it.

"So, since I've never actually conducted an interview like this I thought I'd try something new." She turned her head slightly so she could see if she had Lisa's full attention. Satisfied, she continued. "Do you have any questions for me?" She heard Lisa pause for a split second.

"Like what?" Her voice contained more of her aggravation than she would have liked to let on.

"Oh, I don't know. But I'm sure you have a million questions if you gave it any thought."

Lisa didn't miss the tiny amount of condescension in that statement. They walked for a few more moments before she finally thought of what to ask.

"How am I different? You said you've never conducted an interview like this before."

Angie smiled. It was a good question but she wasn't sure how to go about answering it. "Oh what the hell? Why not?" She stopped suddenly and faced Jackson's bird. "Jackson did something no one has done before. He's the only one insane enough to go against company policy."

"What do you mean?" Lisa was getting that desperate feeling again but just kept her hands balled tightly at her sides. This was something she wanted to know.

Angie took a moment to lean against a tree at the edge of the path, giving herself a couple of moments to decide just what to say next.

"Well… you've seen Derek right?" She waited for Lisa's nod. "Well, the man you know as Derek, I once knew as Alex." She kept a close watch on her companion's expressions. She had no idea if divulging this information would make the woman crack. "You see, the man you met didn't exist five years ago. Now that fantastic body did but someone else lived in it." Lisa shook her head, she didn't understand. "Every other person in the company that has acquired a bird has done the usual; clip their wings."

"I…" Lisa started before Angie just cut her off.

"And by 'clip their wings' I mean, do a complete mental overhaul. It's done with drugs mostly and a few other techniques but in the end, who you start off with is not who you end up with."

"How can you do that?" Lisa had turned pale.

"It's actually a fairly easy process. Not like what Jackson has decided to do." Angie let out a sardonic laugh. "So in a way he saved your life."

"Saved it…" She looked incredulous; all of this information was beginning to be too much for her. But the mention of Jackson saving her, a completely contradictory thought to any she'd had since he stole her, shocked her and kept her rooted to the spot.

Angie didn't waste the opportunity. She killed people for a living, directly or indirectly; it was rare for her to have the chance to perhaps save one.

"Think about it. There was no scenario where you got to keep your life as you knew it. Not one. The moment our company got involved in the Keefe job was the moment your life stopped being your own. We needed you and he had to use you directly. Any mark that is dealt with directly is eliminated. Can't have loose ends."

Lisa didn't move an inch, she was so transfixed by the tale coming out of Angie's mouth.

"The only way you stayed alive and remained who you are was for Jackson to do what he's been doing for you."

"For me…"

"Clipping wings on a normal bird takes a couple weeks at most but you have been a work in progress for almost 13 months now. That's a lot of effort for one person. You still get to be Lisa Riesert instead of… I don't know, Amy or Sarah." Angie let a moment pass before delivering the final blow.

"Jackson has given you the only life the company would let you keep. Hate him forever if you have to, I'm sure it's deserved, but never forget that."

AN: Oh how long have I been away? Far too long you say? Hate me if you must, I'm sure I deserve it, but never forget that I never forgot you.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"That's… that's… No." List was shaking her head as she slowly backed away from the woman that had just thrown her world upside down. "It's twisted, you can't do that to people. He doesn't care about me! He's never done anything but hurt me!"

Angie just let her rant. This was one possible outcome of giving her this type of information. Jackson had never divulged this to her but it seemed a necessary thing. If he was going to leave her mind intact, she needed to know exactly where she stood in the world. The only one that could save Lisa's life now was Lisa. No one else could do it for her. She would have to willingly become a part of this world at some point and the only way she could become a part of it was to understand it. This conversation was just the beginning of her understanding. She waited for Lisa to stop talking. She also waited to see if she was going to bolt. When she just stood there in a state of near hyperventilation, Angie selectively responded to Lisa's accusations.

"I never said he cared about you. I'll be honest; the only person Jackson has or ever will care about is Jackson. He's a sociopath. It's as simple as that." Lisa's posture and expression didn't change. It seems she'd already deduced that. "Let me tell you something about Jackson. He and I used to be lovers except it's hard to be a lovers when one of the two of you is incapable of that emotion."

"You and Jack…" Lisa began incredulously. She started shaking her head. This new information obviously confused her.

"We don't have to acquire birds for companionship. We can also choose from amongst company employees. It's just a rare thing for two people in this line of work to be compatible with one another. Jackson and I were not the exception to that rule. Hell, we were the norm as it obviously didn't work out." Angie studied her shell-shocked companion for a moment before continuing. "Do you know why it didn't work out between us?"

Lisa barely shook her head and whispered out, "No." She was still having trouble digesting this new information.

"He didn't love me. Compassion, love, sympathy… any of those strong emotions most of us feel, intimidation like you're feeling right now, he doesn't understand because he has no frame of reference. Sure, he's not emotionless but the ones he does posses... well let's just say that most people don't exactly find them desirable." Angie looked up at the canopy above them and tried to figure out how long they'd been out here. "He's missing something that most of us have. You don't have to be an expert in psychology to figure that one out. It's what makes him marvelous at what he does though." She stood from her leaning position and took a step in Lisa's direction. When Lisa didn't make a move to keep the distance between them, she continued. "It's what makes him a better person than me in the end." The expected confused look from her audience member let her know she was saying the right things. "Think about it. You have two people. One who has a working, albeit skewed, moral compass and the other with one that never points north? Who's more to blame, the person that has the ability to know better and may even feel guilty about it from time to time or the guy who does it because it just feels natural to do so?" Angie let that sink in for a moment.

"Then why do you do it?" Angie mentally congratulated herself. She had Lisa thinking about someone else now instead of Jackson.

Angie shrugged. "I'm good at it, the money is really good and I get a rush out of it most of the time." Lisa had started to shake her head again and tears were coming to her eyes. "It's hard for someone like you to understand, I know that, but it's the truth."

Lisa's eyes hardened for the first time that day. It was the first time she'd gotten angry. "Hard for someone like me to understand?" She actually took a step toward Angie. "It should be hard for anyone to even comprehend killing other people for a living." She took a deep breath and took another unconscious step. "I've seen the kinds of people you kill. I've seen you kill mothers and children. I've seen you kill family members in some of the worst ways imaginable. No one should 'understand' that sort of thing."

"Maybe, but I do." Angie held her ground.

"I…"

"Hundreds of thousands of people have understood it. You're finding it despicable doesn't mean it's going to stop happening. There will always be people out there that will take advantage of others. Sometimes it's as simple as not telling a store clerk when they've made a mistake in your favor. Other times it's telling a person a lie so they get what they want. Sometimes it's killing your competitors to stay on top. Sometimes its hurting the ones we love so we can hide from them what we don't want to see in ourselves. We are what we are Lisa. Humans can be amazing creatures but in the end they are simply animals. Every living thing's natural inclination is to get just a little farther ahead. The trees above us grow large, wide canopies to keep the sunlight from getting to the ground, starving out potential competitors. Lions will kill cheetah cubs and the mother's if they can catch them to help ensure that more of their available food sources go into their stomachs. You can't point to a single animal or plant on this planet that doesn't strangle, fight or just plain kill their competitors in order to make god damn sure that they survive and the other guy doesn't. Humans aren't above this. They try but the ones that try the hardest to fight against that natural inclination are the ones most likely to be taken out. If you don't fight, you die. And to be honest, I'd rather be the big tree that made it to the top than the sapling that starved without the light."

Lisa just stood there. All forward momentum had stopped; the anger hadn't been able to keep a foothold in her mind. The entirely more comforting sort of hopelessness started to crawl back into the pit of her stomach and it left her feeling numb. They stood in silence and the sounds of the jungle swirled around them. Angie was feeling rather good about how this had progressed. It was the first time since she'd learned of Jackson's unorthodox plan for this woman that she thought she might survive. That sentiment was only strengthened when Lisa finally broke the silence.

"Is Derek happy?" It was little more than a whisper and her line of sight drifted to the forest floor.

Angie quickly switched gears. The time for brutal honesty and skewed life lessons was at an end; it was time for the compassion angle.

"Oh Lisa." She took a few tentative steps toward the broken woman. "He is. I truly think he is. But it's not the same thing. I'm not even going to try to put myself in your shoes."

"I just don't know how much more of this I can take." Tears trickled down her cheeks. "It's so hard just to move. I hate him so much."

"I know you do." Another step. "But you are strong enough to bare it."

"Strong!" She began to visibly shake. "I'm not strong! I let him… touch me. I don't even fight it. I just let him do it."

"That doesn't mean you're weak Lisa." Another step. "It means you're a survivor. Anyone who has been able to take what you have is strong. You've done everything to protect the ones you love. You've scarified your own life for theirs. Can you think of anything that takes more courage, more strength?" Another step.

"I…"

Angie cut her off. She didn't want to take the chance that the woman would deny what she'd just said. Better to keep driving the point home.

"I've met an unbelievable number of people Lisa, of every sort you can imagine but I haven't met anyone like you." She reached out to lightly grasp Lisa's tightly clasped hands. "You could have given up a long time ago but you didn't. It wasn't weakness but strength that kept you moving." Lisa didn't pull away from her touch. She just stood there, shaking with silent tears streaming out of her eyes. "You need to understand this. I don't know what's going to happen in the future but what I see right now is someone who can survive it."

It actually took Angie a bit by surprise when Lisa suddenly lunged for her. She almost mistook the action for an attack, it was only natural for her to assume as much but Lisa wasn't attacking her. She had grabbed her and was now clinging to her as though her life depended on it. Angie relaxed a split second after being embraced and expertly returned it.

"Shhh." She soothed as she rubbed small circles into the weeping woman's back. After a year with no one but Jackson constantly torturing her, Angie shouldn't have been surprised this would happen. It's what she'd been going for after all but she had underestimated its force. Lisa was desperate for anything that was even remotely friendly. So desperate that she forgot that she was holding onto this woman like she was a life support despite the fact what she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was capable of the same horrible manipulations and perverse crimes that Jackson also perpetrated on a regular basis. It seemed that any amount of expressed compassion was enough from which to derive desperately needed comfort. She cried on the killer-for-hire's shoulder for almost an hour before she contritely pulled herself away.

"I'm sorry about that, I don't know what came over me." Lisa apologized.

'I do.' Angie thought to herself before touching the other woman's cheek comfortingly. "You can do this." She said in an almost cheerleader sort of way. Inwardly she rolled her eyes but it had the desired effect. She watched as Lisa squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. Before she had a chance to think too much about what had just taken place, Angie broke the silence.

"You want to go back or see where this path takes us?"

Lisa hesitated for only a moment before gesturing to the path in front of them.

XxX

AN:

Thank you to everyone who read and a huge thanks to everyone who took the time to post a review. I'm glad to be back and I hope to not go so long between updates again. While I try to not post short chapters, it's going to happen from time to time though I've typically had shorter chapters throughout this fic. I'll blame the fact that this piece doesn't have many characters or action. I also apologize for typos. So often I read right over obvious typos as though my brain is purposely trying to make me look foolish but I'll try to be more diligent about them in the future. I'm also trying very hard to correct a bad habit in my writing: character mind jumping. If you see it, I'd love to have it pointed out to me. Sorry for the long author's note. I'll try to keep them shorter in the future.

Also, sorry for the sudden, rapid fire updates to this chapter. And I am sorry for the how much I'm apologizing lately. :)


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Jackson made another round through Angie's house. They'd been gone for nearly two hours now and he couldn't keep certain scenarios from looping through his mind. The first and most unlikely had Lisa making a break for it. He doubted it but he had complete lack of control in this place and he wasn't around her enough to monitor her emotions and reactions. Second, Angie had come to a quick decision regarding his charge and had taken her off to a predetermined location to eliminate the security risk to the company. This was far more likely than the first possibility. He'd heard tales of birds that didn't last the vetting process for more than twelve hours. He didn't know if Angie had been in charge of those cases or not but it didn't matter. It was a distinct possibility that left Jackson feeling irritable. Third, Angie was just still involved in the process. This was the scenario he hoped was actually taking place.

In truth, he had no idea how this worked. The only people that fully did were the conductors. Employees who'd been through it with birds of their own had a better idea but they rarely said much. Not that Jackson would have paid much attention anyway. He had never taken an interest in the idea before he discovered Lisa and his desire to take her. He'd never imagined he'd want a bird; never imagined he'd want to expend the effort. His introduction to Lisa had changed all of that.

All of the rooms were still empty. He didn't even see any sign of Derek. That only increased his unease. For the fourth time in the last hour, Jackson stepped out of the house. He considered doing some reconnaissance in the surrounding jungle but if he was discovered, Angie wouldn't take to the intrusion too kindly. He'd already been warned once to keep his distance and let her do her job. He wasn't entirely sure why he was having such a difficult time doing just that. He didn't care how this experiment was conducted but he hated not having any control over it.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He'd finally decided to just go back in the house and find something to distract himself with when he heard two distinct female voices coming from the south of the house still shrouded in thick jungle.

"So do you think you could try that Lisa?" Were the first intelligible words he heard as they approached. Neither woman saw him right away though he made no move to conceal his presence. He suddenly found himself very curious as to what Angie was asking Lisa to try. Lisa didn't answer right away. She seemed conflicted but that near constant agitated state she'd been in since traveling here seemed to have dissipated. He couldn't quite tell what she was feeling right now and it only solidified his desire to know what they were discussing. Lisa finally answered the question right before noticing Jackson.

"I don't know if I can, but," she took a deep breath, "I'll try." When she finally saw him, she looked at him curiously. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't angry and she wasn't coldly detached like she'd been managing back at his home. The look she gave him felt almost… clinical. He still couldn't tell what she was feeling and it gave Jackson a distinct feeling of unease.

"Jack!" Angie greeted just a little more warmly than he was used to lately. "Lisa was just telling me that she can't stand your cooking. She says it's bland as hell." She gave him a big smile that begged to be smacked right off her face.

"Did she?" He responded coolly.

"You did, didn't you?" Angie turned to her walking partner. "What did you say was the worst? Oh yeah," she eyed him for a moment, "your eggs. You cook them till they're dry as a bone. I don't blame you there." Jackson didn't look at Angie; he was focused intently on the woman beside her. He waited for her to respond but when she didn't, he narrowed his eyes at her slightly. He expected her to draw back slightly from it as she normally did but she didn't. Instead she continued walking with Angie and right past him. He had to fight hard against the inclination to reach out and grab her arm. He did but barely.

"Come on Lisa, let's see if you like my eggs any better. I put a dash of milk and soy sauce in mine."

Jackson couldn't do anything as the women entered the house, leaving him seemingly forgotten.

"Fuck." He said under his breath. His hand was back in his hair. He knew he wasn't going to like coming here but he'd never anticipated feeling this impotent. The only good thing that had happened to him since getting here was knowing that Lisa had survived Angie's judgment for now. He supposed he should have felt relieved but he didn't. He was still as agitated as ever.

Looking off to where the women had entered the house, he debated whether he should follow. Angie hadn't invited him but she also hadn't given him any indication that he was to stay away. Indecisiveness was not something Jackson commonly experienced. He tried to analytically weigh both options but in the end, it was curiosity that made the decision for him. He didn't like that they were having conversations he wasn't privy to. If he placed himself in the equation, that one annoyance could be abated for the time being. He unconsciously ran his hand down the front of his shirt before following the same path as his bird and her potential killer.

"Do you put anything besides salt and pepper in yours?" Angie was asking as Jackson let himself into the kitchen. Angie was busy gathering something out of the refrigerator. She obviously heard him enter because she instantly posed a question to him. "Do you want some breakfast Jack?"

God he hated that nickname. "No, I'm not hungry."

"Then why are you in this kitchen?" She asked flatly as she stood up holding a carton of eggs and a pitcher of orange juice.

He just stood there dumbly, caught in Angie's cool gaze. The only movement in the room for a few tense moments was Lisa's head turning away so he couldn't see the expression she obviously wanted to hide from him. His right hand balled up into a fist unconsciously.

"I was just…" he caught himself before he lied. An inclination he hadn't had in years. "Just wanted to see what you two were up to."

"You know what we're up to. Now if you would kindly leave. Unless you changed your mind about that breakfast." He hated her eggs.

"No." He couldn't leave it that simply. "But thank you for your kind offer." He said acidly. Angie raised a single eyebrow, a small, crocked smirk showing him that she thought he was acting like a child. He quickly turned and left before the feeling that was steadily growing in the pit of his stomach became something he couldn't control. This endeavor was quickly starting to be not worth it. He left the house with only one intention, to get as far away from that kitchen as he could.

XxX

An: For of you that read author's notes, if you recall way back in chapter 16's, I said that Jackson would not always be on top. See, just like Jackson, I don't lie. I had entirely too much fun writing that chapter (albeit a bit short). Howlynmad, thanks for pointing that out but I don't think it was FF fault. I'm nearly certain that my son crawled up into my chair and did some authoring of his own right before I uploaded it. He's a little turkey. Thank you for all the support everyone!


	26. Chapter 26

Warning: Sexual material in this chapter.

Chapter 26:

Lisa paced the length of the room Jackson and she shared. She was exhausted but she couldn't sit still. The last two days had been emotionally draining and her body wasn't fairing much better. Lack of sleep and the unaccustomed two-hour hike were taking their toll. Neither mattered. She wasn't going to sleep yet. Of everything that had happened thus far in Angie's house, the prospect of slipping into the ever-increasing need for unconsciousness was the scariest part yet. She hadn't seen Jackson all day except for first thing that morning and for the brief moments before and in the kitchen. It had been a relief then but now it just made waiting for his inevitable return all the more terrifying.

She'd never seen Jackson act like he had today. There had been instances back on the red eye, moments that felt like they'd happened a lifetime ago, that hinted at a wrath that was possible inside of the cold blooded killer but those were only brief moments that passed quickly. But today… in the kitchen, he was someone she'd never seen before. She didn't see the normal cold, confident Jackson. She'd been stunned to see someone that seemed on the verge of becoming unhinged and she was confused about how it made her feel. On one hand, it felt marvelous. It felt like she wasn't his for those few moments. It felt like an escape. And that's what confused her. The moment she'd felt the sensation of being 'free' of him was the moment she felt completely alone.

Lisa shook her head. She didn't like thinking about it. She pushed the thought aside by remembering what Angie told her to do. Or was it asked her to do? She rubbed the back of her neck trying to remember exactly how the other woman had phrased it but couldn't for the life of her. Either way, she still wasn't sure she could go through with it. Lisa was so lost in thought that the sound of the opening door startled her.

Jackson walked into the room. He didn't look at her right away. He seemed to be making a show of coming in and turning his back on her to close the door before he faced her. She just watched him, wondering what his next move was going to be. Back on his little island, he'd become predictable. It made being around him easier, but here in Angie's world, he was a wild card. The only certainty she had was that they would be physical again tonight. Angie had informed her, much to her irritation that they were required to every night they were here. It made the next thing Jackson said much easier to handle than it otherwise would have been.

"Take off your cloths."

She didn't so much as hesitate. She now knew she was going to do what Angie had instructed. She kept her eyes on his while she unbuttoned her shirt. His expression was cold but otherwise inscrutable. She held his gaze as she reached behind her back and unhooked her bra clasps. Why was this so easy all of the sudden? She didn't let the question stop her. She then unbuttoned the top button on her jeans, pulled the zipper down and slid the garment off her hips. His expression didn't falter for even a moment but she peripherally saw his right hand ball into a tight fist before relaxing again. He did this several more times as she almost nonchalantly slid her plain white panties down to join her jeans. She felt… empowered by the simple act of not taking her eyes off the man standing by the door. She was naked in front of him for the first time without feeling terrified, sick or broken. She didn't have time to analyze this odd outcome when Jackson finally decided to move. She fought against the urge look away or take a step back but she managed to maintain her resolve. She kept her posture upright, she subconsciously took a deep breath which effectively puffed up her chest slightly and she held her ground.

Jackson's mask didn't slip either. He walked right up to her. "Interesting." was all he said before he grabbed her upper arm, pulled her over to the bed and pushed her down on it. He didn't follow her down though but started to methodically undress the same as she had only moments before. Lisa continued to stare at his face as he pulled the polo over his head and undid his belt. Though she didn't look down, she could peripherally see his crotch. She swallowed hard. She had to painfully dig her fingers into the underside of her thigh to distract her mind from the mental discomfort caused by her unwavering stare. Jackson discarded his boxers and crawled on top of her.

She knew immediately that this was not going to be one of their long drawn out affairs. He didn't so much as look at or touch a breast. He crawled over her, got his knees between her legs and used one hand to spread one of her thighs even farther. He did all of this and neither he nor she took their eyes away from one another's. Lisa refused to look away when he spat into his hand and moved to lubricate their coming activities.

Lisa almost screamed but not in fear when Jackson's carefully held mask faltered when his moistened hand touched her. His eyes widened slightly and he looked down between them for a split second, effectively loosing the silent battle between them.

"Of all times Leese. You have got to be fucking kidding me." He didn't sound happy. She was confused. It wasn't until he quickly and easily slid into her that she understood. She didn't know when it happened or how but she was wet. She didn't have much time to ponder it when it he grabbed her neck, his thumb pressing up underneath her chin, effectively making it impossible for her to continue to look at him.

His pace was fast and brutal from the onset and only gained in intensity. There was nothing complicated about this coupling. He never bothered to change the positions of their bodies or even move his hands. Lisa found she didn't care and it wasn't due to her normal indifferent numbness to it. She just didn't care. It was hard to describe but she knew it when she felt it. She'd finally won something. A few minutes later, when he'd finished inside of her, she just rolled over and fell asleep thinking of what Angie had told her. A small smile ghosted over her lips. It was small but the first she'd experienced for her own sake in over a year.

..o..

"The sex is going to happen one way or another. It will every night you're here. I'm a bit sorry for that but not enough to bullshit you Lisa."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I told him to and he'll do as he's told."

Under normal circumstances, hearing that she had to have sex with Jackson every night should have irritated her and made her uneasy but the way Angie had answered the question waylaid her normal reaction. The idea of Jackson being told what to do had the oddest calming effect on her.

"I want you to try something for me." Angie knew they were getting close to the house. She knew all of the trails on the island with incredible accuracy. "I want you to keep your eyes trained on his the entire time. And I don't mean waiting for him to tell you to look at him. If you have a hard time holding his gaze, look at the bridge of his nose, he won't be able to see the subtle difference. Tonight, you'll be the first one in your room. I'll keep Jackson busy until nine. The moment he opens that door, keep your eyes on his. Never look away."

Lisa looked down at her hands. This was crazy but it was compelling. It wasn't so much what Angie was saying but how she said it. It left no room for refusal but it also sounded almost like a plea. After a long silence, Angie continued, "I've already told you that you're strong but so far it's only been strength through inaction. It's time to put some polish on the other side of that coin." Another moment of silence reigned between them. "So, do you think you could try that Lisa?"

"I don't know if I can, but," she took a deep breath, "I'll try."

xXx

AN: I'm going to confess something. I am enjoying writing for Angie now better than Lisa or Jackson. I think it's because normally when I write fan fiction, I almost always write OCs as main characters. They are just so much fun and you don't face the same constraints that you do with canon characters. Just a warning, don't get lulled into a false sense of security with the recent quick updates. They are happening for three reasons that won't continue long term. I'm sort of on vacation from work, my husband is OOTC on business and I'm alone all day long with a two year old. Writing these stories are much needed adult time when the kiddo is sleeping or otherwise indisposed. Also, I got one PM from someone who asked why I started another story when I promised I'd finish this one. Fair question and if one person thought it, I know others have wondered the same thing. I've never been able to write just one story at a time. I need a companion story to keep me going (funny enough, "Stolen" story used to be that companion story for "Cursed" but has since become the main with the conclusion that story). If not, I burn out and lose creativity. I know that sounds weird but it's just how I operate. And with that, happy reading.


	27. Chapter 27

Warning: Sexual content contained within.

Chapter 27

Angie threw her head back, the burning in her legs was entirely too pleasant as she partook in her morning exercises. She kept up the steady motion, slightly lifting herself with her protesting thigh muscles and then lowering herself once more. Hands that were not her own kept running themselves up and down her thighs nor were the decidedly masculine grunts and moans that rose from beneath her. Angie raised her own hands, running them up the side of her neck and up into her hair.

"Faster." A strained command rose from beneath her.

She opened her eyes and smiled. She playfully smacked Derek's perfectly toned chest. It had always been her favorite of his many, exquisitely masculine features. The former aid to the undersecretary of defense had been in swim trunks the first time she'd seen him in the flesh. That had been nearly six years ago. It left quite the impression back then and still had the same mouth watering effects today.

"I'm the one doing all the work here." She breathily teased but complied anyway. She leaned over and kissed him, resting one elbow on said beautiful chest, her other hand slid into his hair. His hands slid back to her buttocks and aided her in their shared pursuit of sexual bliss. Suddenly he wrapped an arm around her lower back and flipped them over, silently declaring that her exhausted legs were no longer cutting it.

"Oh God!" Angie moaned out as his un-depleted stamina pushed them both over the edge. They stayed connected for a minute, enjoying the afterglow before he pulled away from her and rolled over to lie next to her.

"That was fun." He said with a smile, resting his head on his hands in an entirely too relaxed looking position. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Agreed." She couldn't help but look over at him. She envied him right then. He didn't have to do today what she did. Finally, she closed her eyes and tried to hold onto the lazy morning feeling for just a little bit longer. They remained in companionable silence, neither wishing to leave the comfort of their bed just yet. Derek was the first to disturb their quiet.

"You got another status request last night but you seemed like you were exhausted." He informed her.

"You should have told me." She wasn't upset though and the admonishment was half hearted.

"I know." He paused before turning his head to look at her. "So how is the work going exactly?" Angie didn't return his look. Instead she turned her head away from him and glanced out the window that was just starting to brighten with the coming dawn.

"I should have killed her the moment she stepped out of that car." She sighed. There was nothing but reproach in her words.

"Why didn't you?"

"I don't know." She turned to him now, rising up on one elbow, her brow furrowed. "I…" She stopped, trying to come up with the right words that would express just how she felt. Derek waited patiently. "She's special somehow. Ever since Jackson took her, especially after reading the reports from the Keefe job that concerned her directly, I was fascinated by her in a way." She rubbed small circles on the sheets in the small space between Derek and her. "I guess I just like her. I want to un-fuck all of the mistakes Jackson has made since taking her on as a project."

"You don't like how he did it?"

"Not at all. Don't get me wrong, that guy has his areas of genius but this just isn't one of them. I don't now if he didn't realize it or if he was just arrogant enough to think he could but tactics like he's been using won't work long term on someone like that woman. Everything she did on that plane should have made that obvious to him. She's just… too good of a damn person. It's a shame she ever had to be involved." Derek just seemed to consider her words for a moment.

"So if you think she's hopeless, why are you dragging this out?" Angie fell back to the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Then she shrugged.

"I don't think it's hopeless per se. I just think Jackson's methods are hopeless. She'd forever be a threat to the company if he got to do things his way."

"So what are you going to do?"

"The only thing that I think will work. Make Lisa his equal." Derek didn't hide the skepticism in his voice.

"Will he go for it?"

"He'll have to if he wants to keep her." She looked over at her own bird. Could she have done it? Could she have kept Alex? It's a question she'd asked herself a thousand times since Jackson stole Lisa. She'd always found the concept of birds to be repulsive. She wasn't an advocate of human slavery and would leave the Company, risking her very existence, if they ever delved into the dark world of human trafficking. Luckily she knew several of the higher ups held the same sentiment. It hadn't been until she'd met Alex, as a mark for a job, that she'd changed her mind. It wasn't that she was overcome with a sick desire to own him, make him hers but because it made her sad to think that once the job was done, he'd be killed. She knew she was a hypocritical bitch but in the end it was her compassion to save him that made her act. But after everything, she knew it had been in vain. Alex died after all. The man she'd wanted to save didn't exist anymore. All that had remained was the shell. Everything that made Alex, Alex; his memories, the connections he'd formed with other people all his life, his very soul was taken away and discarded.

Angie leaned over and kissed the man that was now Derek. She'd grown to love him. It had taken years but the man that replaced Alex was warm, cared about her unconditionally and gave her something to hold onto when it seemed like the path her life had taken was nothing but darkness. She did like her job but sometimes, someone came along that she just didn't want to kill. Alex had been one of those people and now Lisa was another.

When she finally pulled away from the kiss, Derek asked her yet another question. Despite the many jobs of this nature she'd done in the past, he knew that this time things were different.

"So you aren't going to tell him?" Angie leaned her forehead against his. At first she just slightly shook her head.

"It has to be real. Jackson's a good actor but he's too conceited to keep an act up for the rest of his life just for the sake of another person. Also, I don't think Lisa would fall for it. I need to push the two of them to their limits. I just hope I can do it. I've never done anything like this before."

"You really want to though, don't you? Save her, that is."

"There are very few things in this life that I've wanted more." She answered honestly before kissing him once more. "I want you again. Do you think you could?"

"I'm not a machine." He smiled. "You'll have to convince me." He said as he slid a rough hand up her side.

Angie spent the next hour 'convincing' him in every talented way she could conceive. He came around eventually.

XxX

AN: Uh oh. I've gone and done it. A chapter without Jackson or Lisa even in it, these OC's are getting thoroughly out of control.

The idea for birds is purely a contrivance of my mind. Caged birds just seemed like a good fit. They are usually pretty things that serve more of a decorative aspect for their owners lives than actual companion (exceptions to this rule exist though as they seem to in the story as well). It's a more solid form of ownership, in my opinion, than say a cat or a dog where those animals usually have far more freedom and even free will (especially those darn felines). Also, birds fit the bill more so than say fish (similarly kept animals for beauty with similar solid ownership connotations) but birds tend to be fairly smart, like parrots for example, so the psychological idea fits better. I hope that made sense. The concept just seemed to fit the idea for the story and summing it up in one simple word was convenient. If it is a term used for highly nefarious organizations, then it is purely coincidental. :) One more thing of note, as of posting this chapter, this story has received 100,000 hits. That boggles my mind (wish I got a dollar for every hit, jk jk jk). Thanks everyone who helped make that happen.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Jackson lay on his side, propped up by one elbow as he studied the woman next to him. The tempo of her breathing was just starting to rise and her eyes had finally calmed from their rapid movement beneath her lids. She'd be waking soon. The windows had long ago brightened and he didn't doubt that the time was nearing seven. He never stayed in bed this long but he wanted to be here when she finally woke. Last night, sleep had come easily to her but had still mostly eluded him. He absently rubbed at his eyes and he heard Lisa groan as she turned from her back to her side, now facing him.

"Good morning Leese." She squinted one eye open, saw him looking at her and then squeezed it back shut. She looked annoyed but didn't try to immediately leave the bed. "Did you have pleasant dreams?" Her reactions to him lately had been confusing to say the least and this morning wasn't an exception.

"Hmm. Yes actually. You weren't in them." If she'd peeked and looked at him, she would have been rewarded with the rare sight of a perturbed Jackson.

"Really? And just what was it about?" He failed to keep his voice controlled and emotionless.

"A tall blond… on a boat, looked like a Greek god." Jackson's hand fisted into the bed sheets in front of him as Lisa rolled onto her back and smiled. "Best sex I've ever had, if dreams count." Something snapped in his mind. This was not what he'd expected. He hadn't known what to expect when she woke up but her saying something like this wouldn't even have made it onto his list of guesses. He reached over, grabbed her waist and slid her effortlessly against him. He crushed his lips down onto her utterly surprised ones. He enjoyed her surprised yelp and even found odd comfort in the hands that tried to push him away. It only lasted for a moment however.

She stopped trying to push him away and started to laugh against his mouth. He pulled away marginally to see her looking right up at him. Her normal fear, hate, indifference were nowhere to be found anywhere in her expression. Instead, a malicious kind of mirth danced through her eyes.

"What's so funny?" He tried to sound dangerous. He obviously failed or she failed to notice. Worse, he feared, she didn't care.

"Jealous of a dream? Pathetic." And she laughed again. Under different circumstances, if he'd seen the look on his face and if he was a different person, he would have laughed as well. He snapped his mouth closed. He resisted the urge to smack her and instead got out of the bed. Even as irritated as he was now, he would not hit her. The inclination to do so shocked him nearly as much as the way she was acting. He gathered up the same clothes he'd worn the day before, dressed and left her still in bed. He didn't see her watch him leave or when she lazily curled herself back into the covers.

xXx

"What the fuck did you tell her?" He interrupted their conversation the moment he walked into the kitchen. Angie and Derek looked up from their mostly eaten eggs and fruit to the agitated newcomer. Derek just shot the woman a glance before standing and gathering their dishes.

"Good morning to you too Jackson." She greeted casually as if he hadn't so rudely interrupted their peaceful breakfast.

"What have you done?" He ignored her as well.

Angie took hold of Derek's wrist as he scooped up her dishes and reached up for a quick kiss. "Thanks honey."

This time Jackson was silent until after the man deposited the dishes in the sink and left the room.

"Answer me." He commanded in a tone that would get results when used with most people. Angie just rolled her eyes.

"What happened Jackson?" She didn't bother to hide the little crocked smile. "Did Lisa attack you?"

"No."

"Did she try to escape?"

"No." The irritation in his voice was quickly being replace by something else he wasn't used to feeling, confusion and...

"Then what possibly did she do to get you more riled up than I've seen you in years." He didn't answer. Angie raised an eyebrow, the smile still in place. "Is it so terrible a thing that you can't even say the words?" His eyes narrowed but a light pink flush had invaded to pale flesh of his cheeks. Angie was nearly bursting inside.

"She…" If Jackson played poker, his tell would be showing right now, alerting the other players he was uncomfortable; he ran his hand through his hair and broke off eye contact with her. "She laughed at me." He finally spat out.

"How horrible for you." She was trying not to laugh herself. "So you are upset not because she exhibited any dangerous behaviors but because she… laughed at you?" She asked, mock concern purposely invading her voice.

"What's your plan here? What are you doing exactly?" He ignored her but had resumed eye contact. He saw Angie's face loose its amusement, replaced by deadly seriousness.

"To keep your bird alive."

"Bullshit. You're just fucking with me." Angie rolled her eyes again but shrugged.

"A little. Though far less than you fucked with me once before, as I recall. But the difference Jack, I'm not doing it maliciously. I'm actually just doing my job, the fact that it's making you act like an idiot, well that's just icing." Her voice had gradually turned to ice. "So until she gets aggressive, tries to kill you or herself or tries to make a run for it, you keep your questions to yourself. Do you want me to just kill her now and save you any future embarrassment?"

His stare was a cold as her tone. "No."

"Good." Instantly, a smile was back on Angie's lips and she sounded almost jovial. "Then I'd like you to give Derek a hand with the transponder relay this morning. It's been acting up and I don't want the higher ups to think something is going wrong here and I don't think you do either."

Jackson just nodded and left the kitchen without another word.

xXx

Lisa sighed. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. She couldn't believe how good she felt. It seemed almost ridiculous. All she'd done was stare at him. She smiled again. She hadn't even minded the sex. She hadn't enjoyed it but she hadn't minded it either. It just felt like she'd done a chore that had to be done.

"Good morning." The door to her room opened and Angie stepped through with a tray of fresh food. As soon as the smell hit her, her mouth watered. She pulled herself up into a sitting position, holding the sheet to her chest. She'd never bothered to put any clothes back on last night.

"Morning" She supplied. She wasn't sure if she should be annoyed at the intrusion or excited. She had to give Angie credit for what had happened last night. Never, in a million years, would she have done that without prompting. She'd had no idea the effect it would have on both her and Jackson.

"I got a little visit from Jackson this morning. He wasn't very happy with me." Lisa didn't say anything. She was still confused about how to act around this woman. Nearly everything she said and did had a factor of contradiction. She doesn't like Jackson but thinks of herself as the worse person between the two of them. She seemed to be trying to help her against Jackson but at the same time, she had a bird herself. Her advice had worked but why?

Angie set the food down on the desk and walked to the closet, retrieving a bed tray. She didn't seem to mind Lisa's lack of response as she set up the breakfast and placed Lisa's food in front of her.

"I don't get to entertain very often and I've always adored the idea of breakfast in bed." She sat down in the overstuffed chair in the corner of the room. When Lisa made no attempt to even taste the food, Angie gave her a go ahead motion with her hand. "So, I take it that you were able to do more than just try." She didn't press Lisa for a response, just continued talking as though she'd received one. "He said you laughed at him. Oh Lisa, you have no idea how much I would have loved to see that."

Suddenly Lisa needed to know something. She couldn't sit here and listen to this woman without an answer. "Why do you hate Jackson?" It was simple and straightforward. Angie made an odd face with lips pursed and drawn to one side. Then she laughed and smiled.

"Is it that obvious?" Lisa didn't say anything. "It's a long story."

"Try the short version then." Lisa couldn't believe she just said that. For a moment, she expected Angie to get angry with her but instead, her smile just seemed to widen.

"Alright then, I think I can manage that." She looked up and off to the right as though trying to remember something before she got started. "I told you already that Jackson and I used to be together." Lisa nodded. "I told you that it ended because he wasn't capable of loving me." Lisa nodded again, this time with a chunk of guava in her mouth. "What I didn't tell you was how I came to that conclusion. In the end, it was fairly simple. I wanted to see if I could make him love me. I already knew what Jackson was like but for some reason, I thought I could change him. I was young and stupid and delusional. Then one day, while doing the preliminaries for a job we were both assigned to, Jackson told me that he loved me."

Lisa had been listening quietly, slowly eating her food. "That's why you hate him?"

"Oh God no. I haven't gotten there yet." She sat forward in the chair, resting her elbows against her thighs. "You see, I've always been very good at reading people. So I'd known for a long time that he… liked me. We were sexually compatible and worked very well together on jobs. I think he liked that aspect of our relationship; it was very convenient for him. But when he said he loved me, I knew he was lying. I don't like being lied to and it was at that moment that I knew he simply wasn't capable of it." She sat back and entwined her fingers on top of her head. "So I ended it and he didn't take it very well. You might have noticed that he's a bit of a control freak." Lisa had finished her fruit and had moved on to her omelet.

"Now, here's why I hate him. That job we were working on together, it involved the undersecretary of defense. We had several options available to us to get the job done cleanly and easily. His death needed to look like natural causes, someone just wanted him out of the way because he was blocking certain, very lucrative defense contracts. We'd just finished preparing our recommendations for our superiors when Jackson dropped the "L" bomb. Well, after I ended things, he went back, re-prepared our recommendations without my knowledge and sent them in. They were accepted."

Lisa sat there transfixed. What had Jackson done to make her hate him? She didn't move a muscle in the off chance that it might cause this woman to stop her story before its conclusion.

"It wasn't until we were on the plane to DC that I found out what he'd done. In order to gain necessary intel on our target, we originally chose the undersecretary's mistress as our mark. She was a worthless piece of drugged out shit who would be easy to coerce and I didn't mind the idea of the world being without her once we finished. But when I was checking over the dossier, it wasn't her pictures and information in the file. It was Alex. It was Jackson's 'fuck you'. He knew that I never would have used him as a mark. If I can, I leave the Boy Scout types alone. Alex was the kind of guy that everyone liked because he was a genuinely good guy. Can't quite say I've ever got over that one." Angie stood and collected Lisa's breakfast materials.

"You get yourself ready and make sure to wear some good shoes, we're going hiking again." With that, Angie left Lisa alone.

XxX

AN: Thank you to all my lovely reviewers, you guys are fantastic for motivation! These dialogue heavy ones are tougher to write and I felt like I had a cheering section the whole time. For those of you waiting for a "Saviour's Burden" update, you can expect one tomorrow. Happy reading!


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"So far, you asking me questions has worked rather well so let's keep doing that. You ask, I'll answer."

They'd been on their current trail for about an hour. Angie kept the pace slow Lisa suspected since she looked like she was going for a stroll and Lisa felt like she was going to cough up a lung if they went up another steep incline. Apparently, this trail led to a small waterfall that Angie assured her was breathtaking. Right now it was the hike to get there that was taking her breath away and not in a good way. But now it seemed they were going to get back down to business. Lisa thought about it for a few yards. When the question finally popped into her head, she hesitated asking it. Even though the woman hiking a few paces ahead of her never seemed to mind her questions, after this morning, she couldn't help feel as though she might have learned enough today.

"If you don't ask me something I'll just tell you something you'd rather never have known."

Lisa saw her turn partway toward her, a mischievous smile playing across her features. Lisa couldn't help but return a small smile of her own. There was something about the way this woman said everything that made her feel… like a normal person again.

"Fine." Lisa thought about how to ask it for a second longer. "Why do you like what you do?"

"I'm good at it." Angie had slowed down again somewhat so they could walk abreast of one another.

"That's it?" Lisa looked at her a little incredulously. "You're good at killing people and you like that?" The last part just sort of slipped out.

Angie laughed. "Well yeah. You liked you're job because you were good at it."

"That's hardly the same thing."

Angie shrugged. They walked for a minute before Angie elaborated. "I don't always like my job." Lisa looked over at her and noticed that her expression seemed almost blank. "I don't enjoy killing… good people. Most of us don't." She sighed. "But lucky for them, they rarely get in our line of fire."

"Jackson showed me plenty of good people that were going to "get in your line of fire". Lisa couldn't keep the disgust out of her voice.

"I know what Jackson showed you. He had to really go out of his way to find those. For those few months, the rest of us were breathing a collective sigh of relief because we didn't have to even consider those jobs."

"So you're just a bunch of nice folks that have to do some dirty jobs every once in a while?" Now Lisa was getting angry. She didn't want to hear about how hard it was for these killers to do their jobs. It irritated her that Angie made it sound as though they were victims in any way. For the first time, Lisa felt the finely trained strength behind Angie's deceptively small frame and the hand that now gripped her arm. She found herself suddenly face to face with her hiking partner.

"None of us are nice. Never forget that. I don't like killing certain people. I don't like killing kids or innocent people but sometimes it's the job. And that part of it sucks but it doesn't change the fact that overall, I love my fucking job. For every person like you, I get to deal with a dozen bastards." Lisa tried to pull her elbow out of Angie's iron grip. She failed. A second later, Angie just let her go and started walking again. "Let me tell you about my first operation." Lisa didn't follow at first, still a little shaken from their sudden stop. Angie didn't seem to mind and continued anyway.

"In Iran, there was a son of one of the Ayatollahs that was refusing to do business with a British oil interest. His father had just died and where the father was willing to work with them, the son was not." Lisa trotted a few yards to catch up. "If that's all you knew about the situation, you'd say I was a monster if I told you that was the most satisfying kill I've ever personally carried out. But sometimes, the devil's in the details." She turned to look at Lisa before continuing. "You see he used to buy women. Mostly desperate women out of the old Soviet satellite countries who thought they were getting work visas to Western Europe or North America. Now I say women but they were rarely over 16 years old. He would get them, rape them, torture them and then kill them." Lisa had caught up with the furiously speaking woman. The disturbing story was delivered with a curious mix of nostalgia and anger.

"He liked killing them. I think he liked killing them more than he liked fucking them. The last girl he ever purchased was fourteen. He watched while five of his compatriots took turns with her. Then, he threw her into a pit of wild dogs that he'd been purposely starving for a week. He left her in there for a few minutes as they strated to tear her apart and eat her alive. Then he shot the dogs and just left them all in there while he and his friends discussed the soccer matched they'd be seeing the next day."

"Oh my God." Tears had sprung to Lisa's eyes.

"Now we didn't kill him because of that. We killed him because we knew his younger brother would be more than happy to deal with our clients. It didn't mean that I wasn't thinking about that little girl when I slit his throat but not before I sliced off his genitalia and shoved them in his mouth." Lisa didn't even notice that Angie had stopped along with her. She only noticed the woman again when she walked up to her and stuck her face right in her line of sight. "That's why I like my job Lisa. Most of the time, I'm killing people like that. Not all of the time, most of the time. Does that justify it? No but what can you do? If I didn't do it, someone else would."

"You really did that?" Lisa barely whispered out through lips that had nearly turned white.

"Yeah. And if it hadn't been one of my first jobs, I'm sure I could have been far more creative than I was."

"What happened to the girl?"

"I shot her in the head. Even if there had been a chance she could have survived the physical injuries, I still would have done it."

Lisa swayed a little where she stood as her stomach threatened to expel all of her breakfast. She barely felt when Angie grabbed her forearm with a gentleness that belied her earlier touch and led her over to a small rock outcropping to sit down.

"I…" She trailed off, not even knowing what she'd been about to say. She noticed Angie again when the woman pressed a water bottle into her hands. "Thanks." She mumbled before taking several long swigs. Sitting helped the lightheadedness and the nausea but it didn't help the emptiness she felt. Angie started to speak again even though Lisa wasn't sure she could hear much more of what this woman had to say.

"Life is a strange thing Lisa. You got to live one for a time that most of the world's population can't even dream about. You grew up in a world where fear, starvation, brutal abuse and hopelessness were foreign concepts to you. You only ever encountered them through fiction and news stories. They never really touched you. Not until Jackson stepped into your life. But I'm going to be brutally honest, even though I hate the guy, he's still only made you experience the most mild forms of a brutal life that most people live with everyday. Beyond what he's already done, he won't hurt you. He won't starve you or pass you around to other men. He won't take pleasure in torturing you or killing you like my first ever kill would have."

Lisa couldn't bring herself to even look at her. She didn't want to hear any of this but she didn't try to stop her either.

"I'm not saying that what he's done is justifiable but it should put your situation into context. Despite how you feel about it, you still live better and can forever live better than most of the human species ever has or ever will. If you can learn to deal with that idea, then you can learn to live again."

Lisa felt the tear run down her cheek and fall onto her knee as she stared at the ground. "I… it's not fair."

"That's what a billion women would say to you as they prayed to have a life anywhere near as comfortable as yours."

"That's not what I meant." Lisa spat irritably, hating how true the words Angie just said were.

"I know but we should get going. We have another hour before we get to the falls and I want to get back before it gets too late in the afternoon."

Lisa hated and welcomed how quickly the subject changed.

xXx

Angie leaned down and kissed Derek's cheek as he read a book and sipped at some espresso. He looked up at her and smiled. "Go well?"

She shrugged, "Hard to tell but I think today helped." She walked over to the coffee pot and started to pour herself a small cup of thick black liquid. "How did it go with Jackson?" She heard Derek give off a small chuckle before answering.

"He seemed less than thrilled." She started to sit down across from him and finally enjoy a few minutes alone with him when she heard a rapid, three beep tone come from the adjacent room.

"Shit. They don't give up do they?"

"Don't seem to." Was his simple reply.

Angie walked to the small, locked cabinet from which the sound was emanating and punched in a quick code on the electronic pad next to it. The cover popped open and Angie didn't bother to sit down as she read the short message off the computer screen.

_:start transmission:_

_Alpha request_: report status

She sighed and responded.

_Bravo response_: more time required to assess viability

_Alpha request_: estimated timeframe?

_Bravo response_: 1-2 months

_Alpha request_: unacceptable timeframe

_Bravo response_: required

_Alpha request_: unacceptable timeframe - if viability cannot be determined in 1 week, terminate subject

_:transmission ended:_

Angie's eyes remained glued to the final leg of the message. She stood in the same hunched over position at the desk she'd never bothered to sit down at. She clenched her jaw. Suddenly she reached out and swept the entire system off the desk and onto the tile floor beneath. The significant racket drew a concerned looking Derek through the doorway. He looked from her to the shattered computer then back again. He raised a single eyebrow in silent question.

"Bring up the backup system later would you? This one's broken."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Jackson sat on the edge of the bed, his back to the door and his elbows resting on his knees. He was so fucking tired that anyone who saw his hunched shoulders and lowered head might think he was about to pass out. He could handle sleep deprivation. He'd been trained to handle it but the last few days had been far more than simple lack of sleep. Combine that with Lisa's unpredictability, this meddling plan of Angie's over which he had no control or even insight into and Derek's insistence that he help with a bunch of completely unnecessary manual labor and Jackson felt like he could pass out at any moment. He hadn't even bothered to look at himself in the mirror today. He had no desire to see the stranger that would stare back at him. He only fully comprehended just how out of it he was when he took notice of two legs in the periphery of his vision that had not been there moments before. He hadn't even noticed Lisa's presence until she was nearly standing on top of him.

"Back from your nature walk with our mutual friend?" He asked before slightly turning his head and raising his eyes to get a better look at her. Her face had that post exercise flush to it; several strands of her hair had pulled free from the band that held it all back. "What did she tell you to do this time? She tell you to try smacking me around or maybe yell obscenities at me?" He couldn't suppress the exhausted laugh that escaped his lips when that visual ran through his mind. He would have laughed again at the expression that crossed her features but just couldn't find the energy to do so.

"She didn't tell me to do anything."

He warily stood and faced her. She looked like a different woman today. She didn't look like the woman he'd stolen or the bird whose wings he'd clipped. This was someone else. Who was this person that Angie was sculpting? She just stood there, seemingly studying him as much as he was studying her.

"Do you like what she's turning you into?" He watched as her eyes narrowed, her lips draw slightly together and her head turn slightly. She didn't like that but instead of the silence he would have gotten a week ago, this time she fought back.

"Did you like what you'd turned me into?" A sound, something like a clipped laugh, rose from his throat. He looked out the window and shrugged.

"Honestly, right now I can't really remember." He closed the small distance between them, taking in every detail of her posture and countenance he could clearly discern at the moment. She didn't step back. The muscles in her neck didn't turn rigid and her hands stayed loose at their sides. The hundreds of minute changes that a face can undergo depending on the person's emotional state told him that she wasn't concerned about his approach but he was so tired, maybe he was simply overlooking obvious signals. Hell, right now, he actually had to concentrate on walking straight.

He stopped right in front of her, his body nearly touching hers. A queer inclination overtook him. Just what would it take to get a reaction out of her now, like he'd once been able to illicit from her so many months ago. He suddenly wished, for the tenth time that day that he wasn't so damned exhausted. He smirked when he realized she was staring him down again.

"I'll admit that worked quite well last night. It caught me off guard Leese. If I'd known that's all it took to get you excited, I'd have given you that advice myself a long time ago."

Lisa said nothing so Jackson raised his hand to her face, lightly running his fingers up her jaw line and into her hair. She swallowed.

"You really are beautiful." It's the first time he'd ever really paid her a compliment. "The first time I saw you, in a surveillance photo, I thought you looked like some silver screen goddess. Then I got to follow you for eight weeks and I knew…" It was the first time her eyes took on a quality that didn't say, 'fuck you'. The look lasted only a split second but he'd seen it.

He let the last words hang in the air. He lightly pulled her forward, collapsing that small amount of space between them. He let his forehead rest against hers. He enjoyed a small moment of triumph when her eyes closed. What was she to him really? An acquisition? A challenge? Was she something more? If Angie didn't give her the green light, what would he feel when she was taken away from him? As hard as he tried to imagine it, he couldn't come up with an answer. He would stick with what he did know. He knew he found her attractive. He knew the essence of her character challenged him. He knew that he would rather keep her than lose her.

"Do you think she will kill you?"

She pulled away from him suddenly. Her look was deadly. She had the telltale signs covering every part of her stance. She'd lost an inch to her height, the automatic crouch presented before fight or flight instincts took hold. She looked at him slightly more out of the top of her eyes rather than straight forward as she pulled her chin a small degree toward her neck. Her hands had balled into fists. He knew right then, that he wanted her to fight. He was tired of her 'running'.

"You know she's the one that will determine it, right? I don't know what you think she is but she's not your friend. Angie's more like me than she is like you. If she thinks you'll endanger the company in any way, she'll put two bullets…" and he pointed to the space between his eyes.

The few moments he enjoyed, the control he'd regained for nearly a minute was suddenly evaporated when she relaxed noticeably.

"You sure she'd use a gun? Maybe she'll use Ka-Bar." She emphasized the line by swiping her index finger across her throat.

Jackson was tired of being jerked around and he was tired of failing to predict Lisa's erratic behavior. It was about time she experienced the same. The hand that had only lightly coursed into her hair moments before, turned iron. He didn't allow her to pull away as he crushed his lips to hers. If she tried to pull away, he didn't notice. He'd been on pins and needles since arriving on this island. He hadn't enjoyed any of the times he'd had her since coming here. He would enjoy himself tonight.

He heard her heavy breathing when he pulled away, whether it was from arousal or lack of air, he didn't care. The same hand that had been entangled in her hair now pushed her roughly to the bed.

"She'd use a gun. Though maybe a garrote, she was always far better at the hands on than me." As unsettled as he hoped he'd made her just then, she recovered quickly. He saw immediately that her bag of tricks was rather limited. She tried staring him down again. She'd have had better luck if she'd chosen a physical alternative. Angie's little lessons must not have extended that far yet.

He unbuttoned his shirt, just the first few buttons. She didn't move from where she'd fallen as he crawled over her.

"Does a garrote hurt?" She asked. He smirked as she continued with this strong, tough girl act.

"I don't know. I've never had the chance to ask someone who's had it done." Maybe Angie was doing him a favor. Maybe she was a genius and he hadn't completely realized it. Maybe her plan included keeping Lisa alive for him but also keeping _Lisa_ alive for him. He'd always known she was smart, but if she could pull that off… he might just have to thank her.

"Have you ever killed someone with one?" He cocked his head at her. He was looking straight into her eyes. For the first time, it didn't seem like they were only playing a game, she genuinely wanted to know. For a half second, he contemplated whether or not he should answer that question.

"No."

"Why?"

"I'm not suited to it."

"Why?"

It took him aback. Should he answer? Her eyes bore into his. Fine, he'd keep playing. He was about to answer when he felt Lisa reach between them to unfasten his belt. Maybe Angie had taught her a new trick or maybe Lisa was getting good at improvising. He shook his head; he needed to focus but he didn't stop her.

"I was always better at planning than executing." She'd managed the belt and was now pulling down at the zipper of the kaki pants he wore. He couldn't find the will to care when he broke eye contact. The feel of her warm hand snaking its into his pants was enough for her to win the game a second time in as many days.

"Then why did we meet?" She didn't sound affected by her actions at all, keeping up with the conversation as though they were seated over coffee and not a like a woman who was stroking the man above her.

"It wasn't supposed to go down that way." Unlike her, he failed to keep his tone conversational. "You weren't supposed to go to a funeral." She didn't respond right away; apparently she didn't enjoy the reminder.

"How was it supposed to happen?"

"Someone else came to your house. You called in "sick" and you made the same call. But it wasn't me." He finally managed to open his eyes. He needed to see what was happening in those eyes of hers. For the first time, he realized just how physically vulnerable he'd allowed himself to become. He mentally berated himself for it. She looked determined and nothing else. "I only got personally involved because I'm better with… last minute changes. I'm good at improvisation, but so were you… and still are." He let himself taste her lips while she continued to stroke him. He decided he'd return the 'favor' and let his hand slide down her body before it easily slid under the elastic band of her shorts. Her lips hardened against his for a short while. He was certain she was trying to figure out how to handle this new bit of physical information.

She turned her head to the side, determined to continue the discussion anyway. "If…" He was now touching her as intimately as she was touching him and her body seemed as into this as his was. Now he wouldn't be the only one fighting for concentration. "If you hadn't been on the plane, would I be here now."

"No."

"I'd be dead?"

"Yes." If an observer had stumbled upon them just then, his word would have sounded more like an exclamation of pleasure and not the macabre answer it was. "Do you wish you were?" He finally managed to get out; the pressure was starting to mount past the point of his control.

Silence.

He pulled his head up slightly; not having noticed it had fallen to rest on the bedspread next to Lisa's ear. Had she stopped playing the game? Her hand hadn't but had she given up on the verbal front? He noticed that her eyes had finally closed and her face had flushed an alluring shade of pink.

"I don't know." She finally breathed out. Her free had reached up and grabbed the bicep of the arm perpetrating the depraved activity between her thighs. The move seemed more of an automatic reaction than one born out of any real purpose. It made Jackson smirk but only for a second before her grip on his more sensitive appendage increased suddenly, forcing his eyes to screw shut.

"What are you trying to accomplish here Leese?" It was the most honest question he'd asked tonight.

It seemed as though she wasn't going to answer. Maybe she didn't have an answer to that question or maybe the one she did have, she didn't want to reveal. Either way, at this point he didn't really care. He never thought a simple, nearly completely clothed hand job would ever get him to the point he was fast approaching. He wasn't sure if he could blame his exhausted mental state or the unpredictability of the woman beneath him. The only thing that had kept him from already finishing was the uncomfortable cramping his diligently working hand was currently experiencing.

"I don't really know Jack." She moaned out. "But do you think it's working?"

He felt the rhythmic tensing around his fingers. It was enough that he lost the same battle she just had. He rolled off of her when the sensations passed.

"It just might be." And he fell asleep.

XxX

AN: Whew. Unnecessary insight into the writing of the chapter. Most of it was written while my husband fed me margaritas. I almost posted it last night instead of this morning. That would have been a mistake. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol does not improve writing skills (not for this fan fiction writer anyway). Also, my husband kept making little additions every time I left the room and I only caught all of them this morning (he added another woman to the scene…men).

I'm going to have to agree with a few reviewers, I had lost sight of the main characters in this story but I swear I always planned on getting back to them. There was just some character development that I couldn't accomplish with just the two of them. Angie has been my tool for accomplishing that. I'll admit though, I did get a little carried away. I love writing OCs despite that they are not usually well received in fan fiction.

I'm sorry I didn't get around to sending PMs to all of my fantastic reviewers for the last chapter. I've been keeping busy outside this past week and just didn't get around to it. Don't think I don't fully appreciate your feedback, I'm sure I love it just a little too much.

And with that… Happy reading!


	31. Chapter 31

AN: Wow, yet another long wait from a very unreliable author. I'm going to stop apologizing because it's getting to the point where they don't mean anything anymore. I've overused my right to say it. So instead, I'm just going to hope you enjoy the long overdue update.

Warning: Sexual content contained within. This is mainly a physiological chapter done mainly through the use of sex/power and chit chat. You have been warned.

Chapter 31

Her eyes snapped open but she didn't move, the odd, unaccustomed weight across her stomach kept her still. Trying to breathe slowly and quietly, she let her eyes slowly adjust to the dim light of the room, the only source came from the rays of the bright moon dissipating in from the open window. Lisa let her eyes slide to the side before allowing her head to barely cant to the side in order to take in her surroundings and discover what was on her. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized it was a sleeping Jackson and that it was his arm that lay possessively just below her chest. He lie on his stomach, his face turned away her. She had never seen anything like this before, never experienced a moment during her shared time where he was completely physically vulnerable to her. He had looked exhausted, had for days now but even then she never would have thought to see him asleep while she was awake. She couldn't help the odd smile that touched her lips. The moment she became aware of the expression however, it dropped. So what if he was asleep. What could she possibly do with this new revelation? It's not like she would kill him. It wouldn't solve anything. It would just get her father killed and then her. Sure Jackson Ripner would be removed from the world but after all of her talks with Angie, she knew that another would just take his place in a matter of hours. She was one woman, one simple woman with simple means and simple desires. She sighed. What was she becoming?

The arm around her suddenly tensed, the hand that lie passively against her side only moments ago, now actively gripped her and very slowly, the face that had been turned from her came into view as Jackson twisted his neck to look at her. Lisa held her breath and almost laughed at the surprised look on his face. She was certain that it could have been the masculine mirror to hers once she'd woken only minutes before.

"Lisa." His voice was touched by sleep but he sounded as alert as he ever did.

"Jackson." She returned. "You were asleep." She supplied the obvious but the meaning behind it was easily conveyed to the man who was clearly contemplating the same. He rose to his elbow, not removing his other arm and looked down at her.

"Yes." He confirmed, again with more meaning behind the word than its simple syllable supplied. "How long have you been awake?" He asked, his tone inquisitive but hesitant.

"A few minutes." She said quietly, looking off to the side and breaking eye contact. She felt the hand on her side lightly grip her but do nothing else as it seemed he was just confirming that she was indeed there and that this wasn't a dream. "What does that mean?" She whispered, bringing her eyes back to his. She expected a smarmy answer along the lines of 'I was tired' but instead that's not what he gave her. His eyes narrowed slightly as he considered her question.

"I don't know." It sounded so honest. "Tonight, before… what did that mean?" He used her same question against her. She knew what he was referring to, their oddly shared masturbation of one another. She had no idea. It hadn't been something she'd planned, that's for sure. It hadn't been a suggestion supplied to her by the other murderer for hire with whom she'd been spending so much time over the past few days. It had been spur of the moment. She'd wanted him to feel vulnerable, for him to be vulnerable and she'd succeeded. However, she hadn't anticipated her reaction to it. She'd thought it would make her feel powerful, maybe give her a renewed desire to work against him, deny him and maybe even feel somewhat like her old self but nothing like that happened. Instead, she had felt nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Then he'd touched her in the same way that she was touching him and she'd felt something again. Something that terrified her and though she hated to admit it, it thrilled her. She felt desire. She'd welcomed his touch even as she spat words at him that opposed the treacherous swells of conflicting emotions within her. She'd enjoyed that exchange, she hadn't fought against the pleasure he'd given her and she'd actually been pleased to cause his in return. It was horrifying and Lisa had no idea how to deal with it then, before she fell asleep, or how she was supposed to react to it now that they were both awake.

"I don't know." She answered honestly. It seemed while she'd mulled over the complex question before supplying her overly simplified answer, he'd been engaged in his own mental analysis.

"Was it the control?" It seemed he'd been considering something that paralleled her thoughts. The question sounded like he'd posed it as much to himself as he did to her. He wanted to know why she'd done it but he hadn't realized her internal struggles that had resulted. "Was it because I didn't take it away from you?" The way he asked, like he was trying to decode a cryptic message, one he desperately wanted to understand made Lisa feel unusual. Normally his questions were meant to irritate her, goad her into some emotional response. This was the first time he was actually trying to obtain some sort of real information from her. She answered without considering what the consequences might be.

"Maybe." Again, it was completely honest. She was still too flustered by the revelations of the night before to even consider engaging any kind of guile. She yelped when he unexpectedly slid his other arm under her and used both of them to hoist her to straddle him. He left his hands on her thighs and slowly let them slide up and down, from her knees to her hips. It made her shiver in a way that wasn't unpleasant and while she found her first reaction entirely too disconcerting, she didn't try to move off of him. "I want you to survive this Lisa." His words effectively made her stomach twist up on itself and made her look off to the side and away from those eyes that she could never accurately read. At this point, she was afraid that she might actually see something there, something that might change her. She felt like too much of that was happening already, without her desire for it.

"I don't know what you think you're doing Jackson but…" He cut her off by sitting up and attacking her neck with his lips.

"I'm not surprised Leese, because I have no fucking clue what I'm doing either." His teeth grazed against her skin causing her to break out in tiny shivers, raising her flesh in tiny bumps. "The only thing I'm certain of," he pulled the collar of her shirt to the side and nipped at the junction of her shoulder and neck, "is that I don't want Angie to see you as a threat."

"I don't know how to do that." Lisa moaned out, unconsciously grinding her hips against him before she realized she'd done it. "I don't know if I even want to do that."

"You don't want to die Leese."

"How would you know?" She asked as she put a hand on his shoulder in order to steady herself and maybe keep herself from pushing into him anymore.

"I know. You hate me but you don't want to die." He was back at her neck again but on the other side now, his other hand continued to slide against her thigh but now his thumb would brush against her core each time he reached the apex of his stroke. The fifth time he did it, she let herself press against it, quickly losing her desire to care if she gave him the satisfaction of responding to his touch. He was after all, responding very quickly to her touch as well as evidence by the way she could very clearly feel him through the layers of her shorts and his unbound pants.

"I do hate you. I hate you so much."

"I know." He said as he let both of his hands grip the bottom hem of her shirt before lifting it up to pull it off. She let him, raising her arm to aid him, even finishing the job for him while he resumed his actions on her thigh while his other hand reached behind her to unclasp her bra. The moment the supportive garment was out of the way, he latched onto one breast and she moaned as he lightly bit at her before worrying at it with his tongue. "You hate me," he reiterated as he switched to her other breast, "but could you ever grow used to me?" She didn't answer right away, too caught up in what he was now doing to her other nipple in combination with how he'd just ground his covered erection against her heated core.

"I…" She started but stopped, not knowing that answer.

He ceased his oral actions when she didn't answer. "Wouldn't you rather hate me but remain alive than be released from any feeling for me through death?" At that very moment, the thumb of his stroking hand snuck up the leg of her decidedly short shorts and under the elastic of her panties in order to stroke her directly.

"Yes." She moaned out but she wasn't sure if it was in answer to his question or because of his sinful touch.

"Good." She heard him say and if she could accurately hear anything in what he said, it was relief. He actually sounded relieved by her answer. He was telling the truth. He didn't want her to die. She'd known that all along but the quality of the desire had changed. It was no longer an indifferent desire to keep a possession but it had taken on a personal quality. Like nearly everything else that had happened over the past ten hours, she didn't know how to take that newfound information. She didn't know if she should take it as a good thing or if she should be scared by this new development from the man that had stolen her from her life, the man that had stolen her from her life as opposed to leaving her to her death. She groaned at the thought but she immediately knew that Jackson took it as positive reinforcement of what he was currently doing to her. It seemed his patience with her occasional grinding had come to an end. Instead of doing what any sane man might do, like roll her off of him and the remove the clothing that was in the way of his ultimate goal, Jackson reached off the side of the bed and grabbed something that must have been pressed between he mattress and the box spring, a knife. Lisa didn't even see what it was until she felt her shorts and underwear being neatly and quickly sliced away fro her body. She only actually saw it as he carelessly tossed it off the bed and into the corner of the room.

Lisa then did something she never actually thought she'd do, lost in her own confused desire, she lifted herself up and onto her knees while he pushed his pants and boxers down low enough to free himself. She saw him rub at the neglected organ with one hand while the other hand found her hip and silently begged her to move over him. She obliged and did once more when that same hand pulled her down. She impaled herself on him and while he filled her physically, his groan and the way he fell back with tightly closed eyes filled her in other ways. She lowered herself all the way down until her buttocks were flush against his upper thighs. She just sat there for what seemed like an eternity to both of them, while in reality; it was only about thirty seconds.

"Please." She heard and her eyes shot down to his that were actually looking up at her in a desperate sort of way, not pleading like his word would imply but there was something there. She gave in; she surrendered to her own sudden need, pushed over the limit by his unusual word and startling expression. Lisa raised herself up and let herself slide back down over him, both of them making sounds of pleasured satisfaction in the process. She did it again and then again until she'd built up a steady rhythm. She didn't stop when her thighs started to burn; she didn't stop when he started to push up into her from below. She didn't stop when she heard him mumble something that she couldn't make out and she didn't stop when that same thumb of his reached up and started to rub against her as she filled herself with him over and over again.

When she finally fell over the edge, she didn't scream or moan or cry out, she just let out a shuddered breath that felt louder to her than any of the other normal cries of exclamation ever would have. He either knew she had reached her orgasm or had just been at the same point as her because just as she was coming back to herself, she felt him tense below her. She looked down to see his face contorted into a nearly pained expression as his hands grasped her thighs and slammed her down onto him. Holding her tightly against him as he poured into her.

"Fuck." She heard him mutter a second later as she sat panting above him. He let go of her hips, his arms falling bonelessly to his sides. "Well Leese, not to sound like a broken record but what did that mean?" Stunned and conflicted, she spoke.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."


End file.
